Metamorphosis
by SpecialAgentWho13
Summary: "Clear," McGee called. "Clear." Tony joined him in the kitchen. They heard Gibbs call from upstairs, "Clear." Ziva didn't call out. Tiva. McAbby if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

I know! I know! I shouldn't be posting another story when I already have so many more to finish but… Hey, I'm not the only author who does it. Enjoy? Oh, and for the purpose of what goes on in this story, Tony and EJ never got together, but she did arrive at NCIS. And there was never any Ray or P2P killer case.

They walked into the crime scene, a two story house in an average neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. The two bodies were lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. Before they got to processing they had to clear the house. Ziva and Gibbs went upstairs and Tony and McGee stayed on the first floor.

"Clear," McGee called a couple minutes later.

"Clear!" Tony joined him in the kitchen with the bodies, a man and a woman, one of them in the Navy, according to the neighbor that called it in.

They heard Gibbs call shortly after from upstairs. "Clear."

Ziva didn't call out.

Tony and McGee shared a worried look before running up the stairs, guns drawn.

"Ziva?" Gibbs yelled as he made his way down the hall. "Ziva!"

"It is... Clear," they finally heard her say as they reached the doorway she stood in.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony asked.

She didn't answer. Instead she slowly walked forward, into the room, as the men finally took notice of what was in it.

In the corner, where Ziva now stood, was a white crib and around it were a matching changing table, dresser, and rocking chair. The room was decorated with pink and purple everything. The bedding, the paint on the walls, the cushions on the chair, the lamp on the dresser.

The men stepped inside, nobody saying anything. The room was slightly reminiscent of the Nelson/Campisano case from about three years earlier, with the missing baby and the dead surrogate.

As Ziva leaned over the crib in the corner, she found a small baby girl, maybe six months old, staring up at her. The baby was in a pink onesie, half-covered by a white blanket with small pink and purple dancing rabbits scattered on it. She had green eyes that were filled with tears and a runny nose, like she'd been crying. And as if on cue, the little girls lip started to quiver and she let out a piercing wail, startling everyone in the room, even Gibbs.

"You better pick her up," he told Ziva.

"Why me?" she asked him, slightly shocked by both his command and the crying of the baby.

"You're closest. Just pick her up," Gibbs said.

"Please," Tim whined, covering his ears.

Tony simply grimaced.

Slowly, reluctantly, Ziva leaned down and lifted the infant out of the crib and held it close to her chest. Almost immediately, the crying stopped and the baby girl rested her head on Ziva's shoulder.

"Now what?" Ziva asked, almost awkwardly.

"Change her," Gibbs commanded. He turned to the other agents. "DiNozzo, McGee, come on. Let's start processing the scene. Ducky will be here soon. Ziva, just stay with the baby. Pack up a diaper bag for her. We'll call Social Services when we get back to NCIS."

"But-" she began, but he cut her off.

"No buts. Just do it," he said and left the room.

Ziva sighed and walked over to the changing table on the other side of the room. Carefully, she lay the baby down on it and reached for some wipes and a clean diaper. The baby's current diaper was soaked and Ziva frowned as she tossed it in the trash bin. How long had the baby been left alone? She was probably hungry as well. Swiftly and efficiently, Ziva wiped the little girl down, powdered her, and strapped on a new diaper.

Lifting the baby back up, she glanced around the room, spotting a pale pink diaper bag hanging on the closet door. She gently lay the infant down in her crib and made her way over to the bag. As soon as Ziva was out of sight, the baby began crying again and Ziva sighed. She couldn't exactly pack a bag while holding a baby. As fast as she could, she tossed various items of clothing, several diapers, wipes, powder, and a few toys into the pink bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she rushed over to the crib and grabbed the blanket and the baby back out. Once again, the crying stopped as soon as the little girl was resting in Ziva's arms. Sighing, the probationary agent exited the nursery and began her descent down the stairs.

Ducky and Palmer arrived shortly after the three men returned downstairs and they quickly made their way to the bodies.

"Poor young couple," Ducky lamented. He squatted down next to the male and pulled out his liver probe as McGee held the body's thumb to his fingerprint scanner.

"What can ya tell me, Duck?" Gibbs remained standing in the entryway, as there was no room for anyone else to possibly fit in the tiny kitchen.

"This young man has been dead for just over an hour, Jethro."

"This one too," Palmer added, indicating the woman.

"The neighbor that found them must have scared off the killer."

"Boss," McGee stood, staring at his fingerprint scanner. "The man is Navy Lieutenant Kristopher Colwright, just like the neighbor said. The woman is his wife, Patricia Colwright. This is their house. Both are... were thirty-one years old and have nothing bad or outstanding on their records, from what I can tell. The Lieutenant is currently on leave."

DiNozzo walked in, yellow notepad in hand. "Boss, neighbor that found them said she never saw anything but she heard a crash, thought it came from the house on the other side. She was just bringing them an envelope that accidentally got delivered with her mail when she spotted them through the window."

"Got it, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "What was in the envelope?"

"Nothing important. It was just a letter from their dentist."

"Okay. Start bagging and tagging. McGee, take photos. And get their computer, too."

"Yes, Boss," they replied simultaneously.

Suddenly, more crying was heard from upstairs.

"What on earth is that?" Ducky asked, leaving Palmer to get both bodies on the gurneys. They had done all they could do here. "Is there a child up there?"

"Yeah. I'm assuming it's theirs," Gibbs said. "Ziva found her. She's changin' her diaper."

"Ziva's changing diapers?" Palmer asked, amused. Nobody acknowledged his comment.

"Maybe someone should-" Ducky began but stopped. The crying had ceased almost as quickly as it had begun and now they heard the agent in question descending the staircase.

"Gibbs," Ziva said, walking into the room carrying the baby and a large pink diaper bag. "I changed the baby and packed the bag. Were there any bottles or cans of formula in the kitchen? She may be hungry and I think I should put some in the bag as well."

"Yeah, lemme check." Gibbs returned a few moments later with a couple empty bottles, two cans of formula, some jars and packages of baby food, and a full bottle. He stuffed all but the full bottle into the bag, as Ziva's hands were busy holding the baby.

"Great. Can someone please take her now?" Ziva asked, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Here, give her to me." Gibbs reached out and took the baby. He pressed the bottle to her lips but she refused to drink it and started to cry again. "I think she likes you better," he told Ziva with a smirk.

Reluctantly, she took the baby and the bottle and did the same as Gibbs, holding the bottle's nipple to the baby girl's tiny pink lips. Unlike before, the infant stopped crying and began sucking hungrily on the bottle. The formula was gone in a matter of minutes. As soon as the baby relinquished the nipple, Ziva set the bottle down on the kitchen table and grabbed the dish towel slung over a nearby chair, placing it on her shoulder. She repositioned the baby and began to pat her back to burp her.

"You do that like a pro," Tony commented, walking over and setting a box of evidence on the table next to the empty bottle.

"Yes, well, I have done it before," Ziva admitted. The baby let out a little belch just then, so Ziva repositioned her more comfortably against her shoulder and removed the dish towel.

"DiNozzo, you done?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Boss."

"Good. Ducky and Palmer just left and McGee's gotta be done by now. Let's get this stuff back to Abby."

The four agents exited the house, sealed up the crime scene, and returned to the car, baby and evidence in tow.

So? Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, since I had so many wonderful reviews and tons of alerts and a few favorites as well, I decided to update this fic earlier than I'd planned. I guess the trick to getting review is to put a baby in your story? Oh well, hope you enjoy! Sorry it's kind of short but chapters in my stories aren't usually very long.

As soon as they entered the bullpen, McGee sat at his computer. Tony had taken the evidence and computer down to Abby and Ziva was now sitting at her own desk holding the baby. Gibbs stood in front of McGee's desk waiting for answers.

"Boss," McGee began. "Kristopher Colwright was on a two week leave, probably spending time with his wife and their baby. It says here the child's name is Lucy Michelle Colwright, she's about six and a half months old."

"Tell me more about the Colwrights," Gibbs said.

"Okay, Patricia Colwright was a secretary for some lawyer and she worked in an office a couple miles from their home, she had no criminal record. Lieutenant Colwright's father was in the Navy, now deceased, along with his mother. His wife's mother is still living but in a nursing home, she has minor dementia, and her father was killed in a car accident when she was seven. The Lieutenant was an only child and has no other living relatives. Mrs. Colwright's only living relatives are an aunt that lives in New Zealand and a sister that lives in West Virginia. Want me to call them, Boss?"

"Do it, McGee. I'll call the Social Services people."

Tony had returned by then and now stood leaning against his desk. "Boss, what if the Colwrights' killer comes back for the kid?"

"Yeah, you said it yourself, the neighbor could have scared the killer off. He may not have been done yet," McGee said.

"We'll discuss it with the Social worker. Maybe she can stay here with the baby, so we can keep her in protective custody."

Ziva sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today. "Must I keep holding her? Surely one of you can take her for a while."

Gibbs shook his head. "Just wait until Mrs. McKinna gets here," he told her, referring to the Social worker.

"Fine."

"McGee, look through the Colwrights' phone and bank records. DiNozzo, talk to their bosses. Find out whatever you can. I'm goin' to see Ducky."

"On it, Boss."

"What about me?" Ziva called as he walked away. Baby Lucy started playing with her necklace and Ziva moved it out of her reach, grabbing a baby toy for her instead.

"Well, the baby can't tell you much so just hold on to her. Wait for Social Services." With that, he entered the elevator and disappeared, leaving Ziva frustrated and Tony and McGee amused.

"Whaddya got, Duck?" The autopsy doors slid open, allowing Gibbs entrance.

"Well, Jethro, it appears both husband and wife died instantly and around the same time from matching gunshot wounds to the head. Point-blank range."

"They must have known the killer," Gibbs commented.

"Yes, that is very likely. And he used a .22, so the bullets were still inside the skulls. I sent Mr. Palmer to bring them up to Abigail."

"Okay. What else can you tell me?"

"Aside from the gunshot wounds, the couple sustained no other injuries. I sent Abby blood samples as well. She will be able to tell you if there was anything in their bloodstream before they were killed." Ducky set down his scalpel. "Both were extremely healthy. They would have lived good long lives with their little girl if it weren't for the bastard that killed them, Jethro."

"Don't worry, Duck. We'll find him." Gibbs left, passing Palmer on the way out.

"Gibbs!" Abby spun around as he entered her lab. "This is so tragic, isn't it? Father and mother killed, baby left all alone in her crib? So sad. Is the baby cute? Where is she? Tony said Ziva had her. Isn't that weird? Ex-Mossad assassin, taking care of a baby? I would think-"

"Abs," Gibbs set her Caf-Pow! down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe. Yeah, Ziva's got the baby. Now what do _you_ got?"

Abby did as she was told and took a deep breath. "Okay. From what I can tell from the blood pooling, they were shot right there in the kitchen and were never moved. I ran the blood from Ducky and there's nothing out of the ordinary in there. All the blood McGee collected from the scene belonged to them and the GSR on their foreheads proves they were shot at point-blank range. So far, all of the fingerprints match up to the Colwrights and there were some really little ones that I didn't run because they were obviously the baby's."

"The bullets?"

"Running the striations through ballistics but nothing yet. I have a feeling it's going to come up empty so-" her computer beeped. "Yep, I was right, no match in the system for the bullets."

"Anything else?"

"I got into the computer. The password was really easy, it was just the baby's name, 'Lucymichelle.' If you can spare McGee, maybe he can come help me look through it?"

"Sure," Gibbs agreed. He kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Abs."

"You're welcome, Gibbs. And thanks for the Caf-Pow!" she called, taking a sip.

When Gibbs returned, Mrs. McKinna, the Social worker, was just exiting the other elevator.

"Mrs. McKinna," he greeted.

"Agent Gibbs." She smiled and nodded at him. "So what is it this time? Another genius child?"

"No. Just a baby," Ziva said, rising from her chair.

"It's possible the killer might come after the baby, he killed both of her parents before he got interrupted by their neighbor," Gibbs told Mrs. McKinna. "Is it possible for you to stay here with the baby? We can't send her to the Social Services place. Not without an agent and we can't spare one of those."

"Sorry, Agent Gibbs, but we can't really spare people either at the moment. I'll stay for an hour, but then I have to get back. I can make arrangements for the child to remain here, under agent custody, if that's any help?"

"Sure," Gibbs replied. "Make it happen. I'm goin' for coffee." He turned to Tony and McGee. "You two got anything for me?"

Tony cupped his hand over the receiver on his phone. "Almost done, Boss. I'll let you know when you get back."

"Same here," McGee said, not glancing up from his computer screen.

Gibbs nodded and left.

"Here," Ziva said, holding the dozing baby out to Mrs. McKinna. "I really need to use the restroom and nobody has taken this baby from me since we were at the house."

Mrs. McKinna laughed. "Okay, Ziva, give her here." she took the baby in her arms and Ziva rushed off. The baby opened her eyes as soon as she was shifted from one set of arms to another. Catching sight of the Social worker that was holding her, Lucy began to cry, startling every agent in the room. "Hey now, hush, little one! I'm not gonna hurt ya!" But the baby wouldn't stop and the agents, non-team Gibbs agents especially, were beginning to get irritated.

"Can't you shut her up?" Agent Barrett asked from the other side of the bullpen's divider.

"I'm a Social worker, not the baby whisperer," Mrs. McKinna replied, somewhat snarky.

"Can't you try?" McGee asked, much more politely than Barrett.

"I am! Little one just doesn't wanna stop."

At that moment, Ziva returned to the bullpen, wincing at the noise. All of the other agents were standing and glaring at the baby now. Why were Gibbs and his team always the ones causing problems?

"Here, take her, Agent David. She's been crying the whole time you were gone!"

And as soon as the baby was in Ziva's arms, the crying ended. She sighed. Why did the baby have to only like _her_? Didn't kids usually like Gibbs the best?

Once it was silent again all of the agents groaned in relief. "Thank God," one of them, Agent Mark Tanner, said.

"Just keep the thing in Agent David's arms. Please!" Agent Barrett suggested, sitting back down at her desk, as did all the others.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "There has to be somebody else this child likes," she said desperately. "I cannot hold her for the rest of my life!"

"Relax, Zee-vah," Tony said. "You only have to hold her for the rest of the case! Then Patricia Colwright's aunt or sister can take her."

"Gee, thank you, To-nee. That makes me feel so much better!"

"Jeesh, no need to yell, Probette. I was just joking with ya."

"Tony! Do not call me Probette or I will kill you with this baby."

"Grump," Tony mumbled, typing randomly on his keyboard.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, no death threats around or involving the baby, Probie. Not nice," Tony corrected quickly.

"Enough! I thought you were done with the probie nicknames, Tony."

"Fine," Tony said. "I am now. Promise." He smiled at her and she frowned. She returned to her desk and took a seat. The baby had slept through the whole argument peacefully.

This is going to be a long case, Ziva thought grimly.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay. All these reviews and favorites and alerts are making me the best updater I have ever been. After this chapter, don't expect the updates to come so frequently though. I have a life you know… Well, maybe not THAT much of a life but there's school… and stuff. Plus I become an unreliable writer when I'm not on breaks from school. In fact, you might not see another update on this story until my summer break, so I apologize in advance for that. Anyway, here's chapter three and I hope you enjoy.

~NZA

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><p>By the time Gibbs returned from the coffee shop, Mrs. McKinna was just finishing up with her phone call and paperwork involving the custody of Lucy Colwright.<p>

"Everything taken care of?" he asked her.

"Just about, Agent Gibbs. I just need your signature right here," she pointed to a line on the sheet that someone at Social Services must have faxed over. "And then Miss Lucy Colwright will be under the temporary custody of you and your agents. As soon as the case is over, she'll be transferred into our custody and then handed over to next of kin after everything is worked out."

"Thanks." Gibbs grabbed a pen, scribbled on a stray sheet of paper to test it, and then signed on the line Mrs. McKinna had indicated. "There. That it?"

"That's it. Thank you, Agent Gibbs. Good luck with your case. I've gotta get these back to work and file them. See you later." She strode past Ziva's desk, waving to the baby as she headed toward the elevator. In a matter of seconds she was gone, disappearing behind the sliding silver doors.

Gibbs turned to Tony and McGee. "DiNozzo, what do you have for me?"

"I talked to Lieutenant Colwright's boss, Lieutenant Commander James Pike. Pike says Colwright was friendly, didn't have any enemies that he could think of. Turns out they're docked here in D.C. for the week so Colwright was going to have three weeks to spend with his wife and daughter. Pike also said he couldn't think of anyone else who would want to kill Colwright or his family. He said we were welcome to come down and talk to the people he worked with but they're only going to be in town for a few more days so we'd better make it quick."

"Fine. We'll go down later. What about the wife?"

Tony stood and pulled up a website on the plasma. "Patricia Colwright. I talked to _her _boss too. Not very cooperative, might I add. His name is Phillip Sterling of the Sterling & Minor Law Office in Alexandria. He was in a hurry to get off the phone, so I didn't get much of anything from him, we'll have to go talk to him ourselves. All Sterling would tell me was that Patricia was a very good secretary and was never late, even during her pregnancy. She took two months maternity leave off about eight or nine months ago. She didn't have much involvement in any of his cases but it's still possible that one could be linked to the murder. No enemies as far as he was aware and no friends that he knew of in the office but the guy doesn't seem very observant, if you ask me."

"Got it. We'll talk to him too. McGee, what do have for me?" Gibbs remained in the middle of the bullpen and sipped his coffee as the younger agent rose from his chair and took the remote from Tony.

"I didn't find anything in their bank records that stood out, Boss, but I did find something in their phone records." He brought up a list of phone numbers on the screen. "There was nothing out of the ordinary on either the home phone or the Lieutenant's phone but I did find something interesting on Mrs. Colwright's cell phone records." He points to several different calls on Patricia Colwright's call record. "All of these are the same number. She never made the call, that number always called her and they've been calling three times a week for the past two and a half months."

"Who is it?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know yet, Boss. I'm having a hard time figuring out who the number belongs to but it isn't a prepaid cell, I know that."

"Secret lover?" Tony offered, peering at the screen.

"Perhaps it was a babysitter?" Ziva stood and walked over to the screen with baby Lucy, who was once again asleep.

"If it was a babysitter, wouldn't Patricia be the one to call _them_?" McGee replied.

"Good point." Ziva frowned. "Then who could it be?"

"It's gotta be a lover. She was probably having an affair," Tony said.

"Tony, she just had a baby," Ziva stated, annoyed.

"So?"

"So why would she have an affair when she and her husband just had a child?" Ziva nearly yelled.

"Maybe the kid isn't Kristopher Colwright's."

"Well maybe-" She was interrupted by the beeping of McGee's computer.

Tim made his way around them and to his desk, leaning over to stare at the results of the search on his computer screen. "Got the number. It's a cell phone belonging to a Sherry Tate." He typed a few things and brought a driver's license up on the plasma. The woman in the picture had dark blonde hair and brown eyes. "Lives in Arlington, just like the Colwrights."

Gibbs tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash and grabbed his keys, gun, and badge off his desk. "Good work, McGee. Now go down and help Abby with the computer. DiNozzo, you're with me. Let's go talk to Patricia's boss and this Sherry Tate woman."

"Gibbs-"

"Stay with the baby, Ziva."

Ziva sighed and dropped into her chair angrily as they walked away.

* * *

><p>"Boss, can't we find some agent from the legal department or something to watch the baby? We could use Ziva's help."<p>

"Right now, Ziva's the only one we know that baby won't cry with. I don't wanna hear complaints from Vance about his agency being disturbed by the noises. He'll try to send her to Social Services and we don't know if the Colwrights' killer was after the baby too and just didn't get the chance to kill her or grab her."

"Right," Tony replied. They made their way up the front steps of Sherry Tate's house in Arlington, Virginia. He knocked on the door and they waited.

After a minute, the white front door swung open to reveal a man in his mid to late thirties wearing a light blue dress shirt tucked into khaki slacks tightened around his waist with a brown leather belt. He was loosening the dark blue tie around his neck. The man wasn't much taller than Gibbs. He had nicely combed dark brown hair, matching bushy eyebrows, and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing them curiously.

"Yeah," Gibbs said, stepping forward and pulling out his badge. DiNozzo did the same. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. This is Special Agent DiNozzo. Is Sherry Tate home?"

"Uh, sure, yeah. She's in the kitchen. I'm her husband, Wallace Tate. Can I ask what this is about?"

"You can ask," Tony replied, following Gibbs past Tate and into the house. They found the woman from the driver's license slicing tomatoes on the island in the kitchen. She looked up in surprise when they came in.

"Wally? Who are these people?" She set her knife down and wiped her hands on a rag hanging from the oven.

"They're agents, honey. They wouldn't tell me what they wanted."

Gibbs held up his badge again for Sherry to see. "Mrs. Tate?" She nodded. "We need to ask you some questions."

"Do you know a woman named Patricia Colwright?" Tony asked, leaning against the counter.

"Patricia? Yeah, we work together. But I have the day off. Did something happen? Is Patricia alright?" Sherry looked sincerely worried, but Tony couldn't be sure.

"She and her husband were found murdered in their home this morning. We looked at Patricia's phone records. For just coworkers you sure call her a lot. Three times a week, every week?" Tony said.

"Oh my God." Sherry lifted a shaking hand to cover her mouth. "Not Patricia. She was so nice… Wait, you don't think I killed her?" She looked up at them, shocked.

"Hey now," Wally Tate stepped forward. "I don't know who you guys think you are, coming in here and accusing my wife of murder-"

"Hey man." Tony raised his hands, smiling. "We're just here to solve a murder investigation. I only asked why Sherry here was calling a coworker so often. I know I don't call Agent Gibbs here three times a week." He turned back to the wife, who Gibbs was staring down intently.

"So?" Gibbs asked.

"I didn't _kill _Patricia and her husband, Agent Gibbs!" Sherry insisted. "She was my _friend_. Yes, we were coworkers, but we were also friends."

"Why call her three times a week for the past two and a half months?"

"Because I started babysitting for her every once in a while. We're both secretaries but we work different hours and-" She brought her shaking hand back up to the mouth. "Oh God. Lucy. What she- Was Lucy…?"

"The baby's just fine," Gibbs told her. "One of my agents is watching her. Can you think of anyone who may have wanted to hurt Patricia or her husband?"

"I- I didn't know Kristopher very well but Patricia was very friendly. I don't know who would want to kill them. She loved Lucy more than anything in the world and that little girl looks so much like her mom with her red hair and her pretty green eyes. What's going to happen to her? To Lucy?" Sherry twisted the rag in her hands nervously.

"She's under our protective custody until we solve the case. Then she'll be handed over to Social Services and put in the custody of a relative," Tony replied. "Thank you, Mrs. Tate. Those are all the questions we have for you right now."

"If you think of anything that could be of use," Gibbs pulled out a card and handed it to her, "give us a call."

Sherry nodded and remained in the kitchen as Wallace Tate showed them out.

* * *

><p>After a less than productive visit to Sterling &amp; Minor Law Office to talk to Patricia Colwright's boss and few coworkers, Gibbs and DiNozzo returned to NCIS to find Ziva lying on the floor in the middle of the bullpen with Lucy. There were several toys scattered about and giggling filled the room as Ziva made a stuffed pink rabbit dance around the baby's legs. Gibbs and DiNozzo were slightly baffled at Ziva's change in attitude but said nothing, taking seats at their respective desks.<p>

Ziva stood and lifted the baby up after a minute, kicking the toys towards her desk and out of the way. "Did you get anything from Sherry Tate? she asked.

"Nah, nothin'. Apparently she called because she babysat for Patricia Colwright sometimes," Tony replied. "Nothing panned out at the law office either."

"Well then I suppose we will have to wait and see if McGee and Abby can find anything on the computer."

Gibbs rose from his seat and took a sip of coffee. Where he had gotten it, Tony wasn't sure, because they had never stopped but that wasn't important. "I'm goin' down to the lab. See what they've got." He breezed past them, turning around just outside the bullpen dividers. "Oh, David."

"Yes, Gibbs?"

"You'll be taking the baby home with you tonight. Can't leave her here. Plus, she seems to like you."

"But-"

"What?" The outburst came from Tony, who stood and pushed his chair back. "Boss, is that really necessary?"

Ziva's eyes widened and she turned to stare at him.

"Got somethin' to tell me, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

Tony, realizing what he had just insinuated to his boss, also widened his eyes. "Uhh, no, Boss. Nothing. Just thought, you know, that it was unfair because Ziva- she's had the baby all day and now she has to take her home…" He trailed off, withering under Gibbs's glare.

"You wanna take the baby, DiNozzo? That what you're sayin'?"

"Uhh, no, Boss. Well-"

"Tony," Ziva warned quietly.

Gibbs continued to glare at both of them. "DiNozzo, my office. Now."


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, I must really love you guys. This is the longest chapter I have ever written for anything. Almost three thousand words. I'm kind of proud of myself. And I hope it makes up at least a little for how long you are probably going to have to wait for the next one. (Sorry in advance again.) I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm not too thrilled about it but eh who cares. Thanks for reading and please let me know if you find any mistakes. :)

P.S. I noticed that FFN was having some problems today. I couldn't get to or read any of the new chapters I was emailed. I guess nothing was posting correctly. Anyone know what was going on? I don't know when you'll be reading this but hopefully it gets posted eventually! Now, enough with my rambling!

P.P.S. Oh, and I know I never mentioned this before but do I really need to? I don't own NCIS.

Reason for re-post: Just fixing some errors. Sorry.

~NZA

* * *

><p>The elevator went dim as Gibbs flicked the emergency switch. Tony glanced around nervously. <em>Me and my big mouth<em>, he thought.

To Tony it felt like hours but had in fact been only two minutes before Gibbs spoke. "You don't want the baby going home with Ziva?"

Tony opened his mouth to respond but Gibbs stopped him before he could start.

"No. I talk, you listen. Then you get your chance." Tony shut his mouth. "Why would it matter to you if the baby keeps Ziva up? It wouldn't. Unless you were at her apartment too. In that case, we have a problem."

Tony remained silent, giving himself hundreds of mental head-slaps.

"You sleeping with Ziva, DiNozzo?"

"Uhh..." He didn't answer the question.

Gibbs smacked an open palm on the elevator wall. To Tony's credit, he didn't even flinch.

"Damn it, DiNozzo. Are you and Ziva breaking Rule 12?" Gibbs asked. He seemed furious but, then again, Tony was never quite sure about anything when it came to Gibbs and his feelings.

Finally, he took a deep breath and answered. "So what if we are? You may have rules against it, Boss, but Vance doesn't. What Ziva and I may or may not do after hours doesn't concern you." Now Tony was getting angry.

"It does concern me, DiNozzo, because it changes things. When you fall in love with a coworker- with your partner- things get difficult. You'll care too much and then you'll both end up getting hurt."

"That what happened with you and Jenny?" Tony asked quietly. He knew the question practically came with a built in head-slap but he didn't care.

"That doesn't matter, DiNozzo," Gibbs said quietly. "What matters is what's happening right now. With you and Ziva. You're sleeping with her?"

Tony glared for a moment. Then he answered, "Yeah."

"Is it more than that?"

"Could be." Tony's voice turned to a whisper at his next words. "Don't know if she wants it to be."

"Is she happy?"

Tony looked up, surprised at Gibbs's sudden mood change and serious questions. "What?"

"Is Ziva happy? Cause the last thing she needs right now is to not be happy."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "Yeah, she seems happy."

"How long has it been going on?"

"Officially? Since Paris. But things happened before that too. And it was kind of off and on at first."

"Alright," Gibbs said. "Just keep it out of the office."

"Wait- What?" Was Gibbs saying what he thought he was saying?

"I said, keep it out of the office. Got it, DiNozzo? I don't wanna walk in one morning to find you two playing grab-ass by my desk."

Tony grinned. "Sure, Boss." He a sudden sharp pain as Gibbs's hand made contact with the back of his head and moved to flick the switch in the same motion.

"That's for breaking Rule 12." Gibbs smirked as the silver doors slid open to reveal Abby's lab, blaring music hitting them at the same time. They walked in, undetected by the goth scientist and the computer geek sitting in front of the computers with their backs to the door.

Abby whirled around as soon as Gibbs switched off the music. "Gibbs!" McGee turned as well.

"Hey, Abs. Whaddya got?"

"What, no Caf-Pow!"

"Later," he said. "If you give me something."

"Fine." She gestured for them to come closer and spun back around. "Well McGee and I managed to get through the Colwrights' whole computer."

McGee cut in. "And it was mostly full of baby and wedding pictures and common documents. We went through both of their emails and a couple things stood out." He brought up a few windows on the big screen and Gibbs and Tony walked around to stare at it, waiting for an explanation.

"This first email was sent to Lieutenant Colwright about a month ago," Abby told them. She zoomed in on the message and Tony read it aloud.

"'You bastard. I thought I could trust you. I will kill you for what you did to me. Sincerely, L.Y.'" Tony and Gibbs turned back to Abby. "Who's 'L.Y.?"

"Well I back traced the email that sent it. It was a yahoo account and it belongs to an Ensign Lee Young. Care to take a guess who one of his higher-ups was?"

"Lieutenant Kristopher Colwright." Gibbs walked over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Abs. You'll get that Caf-Pow! later." He started to leave but McGee stopped him.

"Boss, one more thing. Patricia Colwright received multiple emails from this account," he brought up another yahoo address on the screen. "Belongs to Sherry Tate. Did anything pan out at her place?"

"Nothing," Tony replied.

"Well then these are probably nothing as well but they seemed kind of cryptic to me."

"What'd they say, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"That's the thing, Boss. They didn't really seem to have a purpose to them. Like there was a hidden message in them or something."

"Well, if there was, find out what it is. Come on, DiNozzo. Let's go talk to Ensign Lee Young."

* * *

><p>Ziva waited impatiently for the elevator doors to slide back open. She was sitting at her desk, Lucy on her lap eating the baby cereal she had spread out on the desktop in front of her. Lucy was babbling happily but Ziva was worried. Why did Tony have to be such an idiot sometimes? If only he could learn to control his mouth. Surely Gibbs knew now. They had been in there for too long.<p>

Finally, to Ziva's relief, Gibbs and Tony exited the elevator fifteen minutes later. All three adults smiled when baby Lucy clapped as she ate the last piece of baby cereal.

"Take the baby down to Abby," Gibbs told her. We're going down to talk to the Lieutenant's shipmates."

"Really?" Ziva asked, incredulous. She hadn't done anything case-productive all day.

"Yep." He grabbed the keys and his badge and gun and headed to the elevator. "I'll be waiting in the car." He disappeared with the closing of the elevator.

Tony turned to her. "He knows now."

Ziva's eyes widened. "And?"

He bent and picked up Lucy's diaper bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "He's basically fine with it, I guess. As long as we keep it out of the office."

"Rule twelve?"

"Yeah, got a nice head-slap for breaking that one. But we're good."

Ziva sighed in relief. "You told him everything?" Tony nodded and she continued. "I hope you enjoy being woken up by crying babies then, Tony," she teased.

He groaned. "Oh yeah, I forgot. We have to take the baby home." Tony smacked a hand to his forehead and ran it down his face as the trio stepped into the elevator. Lucy laughed at him. "Hey-" The elevator doors slid open, Abby's restarted music interrupting him.

Ziva switched the music off this time as they walked in. Lucy had buried her face in Ziva's shoulder in an attempt to block out the noise and lifted her head when it stopped, glancing around the lab. Abby spun around to see who had interrupted her this time and her face broke into a grin as soon as she saw the baby.

"Oooh! Is this Lucy? She's so cute! Why didn't you bring her down earlier? What are you guys doing down here anyway? I though Tony and Gibbs were going to talk to Lee Young. Did you bring me a Caf-Pow! this time? McGee and I haven't found anything else, it's only been a few minutes so-" McGee put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her onslaught of questions.

"Abby, calm down," he said.

"Abby," Ziva began, not about to try and answer any of her questions, "Gibbs wanted us to bring Lucy down. We need you to watch her while we go talk to Lieutenant Colwright's shipmates."

"I would love to!" Abby shouted, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She held her arms out but Ziva shook her head.

"She just ate and I changed her diaper about twenty-five minutes ago so she will probably sleep soon. I will just lay her on a blanket on the floor with some toys. Please make sure to keep an eye on her."

Abby smiled. "Wow, Ziva, you sound like a worried mom," she said as she helped Ziva pull the dancing bunny blanket and some toys from the bag and lay them out. "McGee said Lucy cried with everyone but you."

Ziva nodded. "Yes. I do not know why. And nobody will take the baby from me because of it," she complained as she set Lucy down on the blanket. The little girl stared up at Ziva and Abby, who were squatting next to the blanket.

"Well, don't worry. We'll have fun here while Ziva's gone, right?" she asked the baby. Lucy ignored her and crawled to the nearest toy, picking it up and banging it against the blanket. Abby, suddenly getting an idea, quickly stood and grabbed Bert off her desk. She dropped back to her knees and held it out to Lucy and everyone else rolled their eyes.

Lucy stared at the stuffed hippo, wide-eyed, before slowly reaching for the toy and taking it. She held it tightly, causing Bert to let out a fart. At this, Lucy burst into giggles and they all smiled. The baby continued to squeeze the obnoxious toy as Tony and Ziva slipped out of the lab and back into the elevator.

"So where have you done the burping thing before?" Tony asked, staring at his partner as they rode to the parking garage.

Ziva turned to him and smiled. "You would like to know, wouldn't you?"

He smiled in return, still curious.

After a second, she answered. "I used to watch and help my mother take care of my sister when I was a child. Granted, I was only about five but I also... child watched? For a brief time before my father began my Mossad training."

"Babysat."

"Hm?"

"Babysat. Not child watched," Tony corrected.

"Right. I never quite understood that term- babysat."

Tony laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said. "It's just hard to picture the big bad Mossad assassin babysitting, that's all."

"I was not always an assassin, Tony," Ziva admonished. "I was a child at one point."

"I know." He held up his hands. "Everyone was. Except Gibbs. He was hatched old," Tony said as they exited the building and made their way to the idling car in which the aforementioned man sat waiting.

Ziva laughed. "Careful, Tony. Gibbs probably knows you are talking about him."

"Gibbs may be good, but he's not that good."

Tony slid into the front seat before Ziva could and promptly received a head-slap. "Ow, Boss! What was that for?"

"Talking about me, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. They slammed back in their seats as he stomped on the gas and the car rocketed out of the Navy Yard.

* * *

><p>About two hours later, faster than usual because of Gibbs's driving, they were in Norfolk talking to Kristopher Colwright's Lieutenant Commander, James Pike.<p>

"Nice to meet you, Agent Gibbs. Talked to your Agent DiNozzo on the phone." He shook hand with Gibbs first, then Tony. "And this is?" He held his hand out to Ziva.

"Agent David," she said, taking his hand briefly.

"What can I do for you?" His smile disappeared. "God, I can't believe Kris is gone."

"We're sorry for your loss, Lieutenant Commander," Gibbs said. "We were hoping to talk to the Lieutenant's closest shipmates. Specifically, an Ensign Lee Young."

"Lee? Okay, sure. Most of the men that aren't on the ship or on base are at a bar and grill about a mile from here. Lee and most of the others will be there. Let me get you a list of the guys closest to Colwright." Pike jogged off and disappeared into a nearby building.

"Do you think this Lee Young did it, Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"Not sure. We'll see what my gut says when we talk to him."

Pike returned minutes later with a sheet of paper in hand. He handed it to Gibbs. "Here's a list of the guys you should talk to. I wrote the address for the bar on there too."

"Thanks, Lieutenant Commander," Gibbs said, shaking Pike's hand again.

"Agent Gibbs. Good luck."

With that, Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony took off for the bar.

* * *

><p>The bar turned out to be a Chili's Grill &amp; Bar that was pretty close to the Naval Base. As the three of them entered, they were hit with a wall of noise. There were hundreds of sailors hanging out inside and outside the restaurant eating, drinking, talking, and laughing. A few of them glanced at the agents as they passed through but they weren't stopped.<p>

Once they were in a relatively clear area, Gibbs turned to his agents. "Okay," he yelled over the noise. "Let's split up. Look for Lee Young first. If ya find him, bring him to me and we'll go outside. After that we'll split the list up. Got it?"

"Got it!" Tony and Ziva yelled simultaneously. They nodded and took off into the crowd in different directions.

Tony was the one to find Young, after asking a few midshipmen that were having beers and flirting with the Chili's waitresses. He flipped out his badge, showing it to a group of men in uniforms in the corner of the bar. "Special Agent DiNozzo. NCIS. Which one of you is Lee Young?"

A man in his mid-twenties raised his hand. "I'm Lee," he said. He took a swig of what looked like Mountain Dew. "Designated Driver," he explained, noticing Tony's look. "What can I do for ya, Agent DiNozzo?"

"Just need to talk, Lee" Tony replied. "Follow me please." He two weaved through the crowd and somehow Tony managed to catch both Gibbs and Ziva's eyes on his way outside.

The four had made it out and were now standing near the back of the building, away from most of the people. Not everyone though, as about ten feet from their little group, a man was bracing himself against the side of the building and vomiting onto the pavement. And he hadn't been the only one to do so. There were piles of vomit everywhere and the four wrinkled their noses in disgust.

"So what's this about?" Young asked them.

"Were you aware that Lieutenant Kristopher Colwright was murdered in his home this morning?" Gibbs asked.

"What? God, no. Nobody told me."

"Yeah?" Tony replied. "Were you and the Lieutenant close, Ensign?"

"Uh, no, not really. I mean, I knew him, yeah, but not very well. We didn't associate much," Young told them.

"Really? Then how come you sent him that nice little email a month ago? You know, that one where you threatened to kill him? What was that about?"

"I- I- Look, man, I didn't mean anything by it. I wasn't actually going to kill him! I was just mad and it was a heat of the moment thing. He pissed me off, but I'm over it. I didn't kill him!"

"What did the Lieutenant do that made you angry?" Ziva asked.

After a long pause Gibbs snapped his fingers. "Hey. Answer the question."

"He never said anything about the email. I figured he just let me off the hook for it. Or he never got it. I told the Lieutenant something private and he promised me that it wouldn't get out. But it did. He told someone and it got out. I was pissed then, but I'm fine now. I didn't kill him. I _swear_. What happened, it's not important anymore. It was an empty threat," Young insisted.

Tony started to say something but Gibbs cut him off.

"Thanks, Ensign. You can go back inside."

When Young was gone, Tony and Ziva turned to their boss.

"Why'd you let him go, Boss?" Tony asked.

"My gut tells me that Young's telling us the truth. Let's go talk to the people on this list."

They returned to the Navy Yard several hours later. Nothing new in the case had resulted from the interviews and they were exhausted. The three made their way up to the bullpen. McGee wasn't there, so they assumed he was still down in the lab with Abby.

"It's late. Get the baby and go home," Gibbs told them. "Be here at 0700 tomorrow. And ya might wanna pick up a crib or somethin' on your way home."

Tony and Ziva complied without a word. Both had a feeling they were in for a long night.


	5. Chapter 5

I know, I'm terrible. I have to be one of the worst updaters ever but I just couldn't bring myself to write anything after all the god awful writing stuff I have had to do in school, like my 1200 word CBA for history. Anyway, you don't want to hear my excuses so I'll just let you get to it (those of you that actually read author's notes anyway). I'm not too proud of this chapter and I apologize for the brevity of it and the fact that it's just a filler chapter but, I guess, enjoy?

Don't own it, as always. I own the OCs but I doubt anyone wants or cares about those ;)

Oh, and just a reminder, this story goes AU somewhere before the last few episodes of Season 8 and EJ and CI-Ray were never in the picture.

Warning: Some T-rated stuff in this chapter.

* * *

><p>After struggling to put the baby seat taken from the Colwright house in Tony's car and then making a brief stop at Target to pick up a playpen, Tony, Ziva, and Lucy finally pulled into the parking space in front of Ziva's apartment. They had left Ziva's Mini in the NCIS parking lot, as there had been no room in it for the car seat.<p>

"Want me to get her?" Tony asked, watching as Ziva's heavily lidded eyes struggled to remain open.

"No, I can get her. Just grab the playpen and the diaper bag."

"Sure." Tony opened the car door and slipped out onto the street, which was bathed in the soft pink and orange glow of the setting sun. He shut the door and walked around to the trunk, unlocking it and pulling out the diaper bag and the white cardboard box containing the Graco playpen they'd bought to use as a bed for the baby. He slammed the trunk closed and then circled around the opposite side of the car to meet Ziva, who now held the sleeping child. She shifted Lucy higher up on her hip before following Tony into the building and up to her apartment on the third floor.

At the door, Tony set the box down and searched his pockets for the key. After a quiet moment, he grinned, producing the key triumphantly. They maintained their drowsy silence as they move through the apartment, flicking on the kitchen and living room lights and then shuffling down the hall to the apartment's lone bedroom.

"I'll just set this up," Tony whispered, indicating the box tucked under his right arm. Ziva responded with a slow nod and set Lucy down in the center of her bed, putting a pillow on either side of her in case she decided to roll in her sleep. The baby remained asleep, dead to the world, as Tony struggled to set up the playpen and Ziva used the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She was far too tired to even complete any additional tasks, such as washing her face, at this point. What she had done that had led her to such exhaustion, she did not know. After all, she had done nothing other than watch a baby and interview a few navy guys at the bar.

When she exited the bathroom, Ziva found her partner, highly skilled and competent man- though he did not act as such at times- that he was, still attempting to piece together the playpen.

"Need some help?" she asked, grinning widely.

"Humph," Tony grumbled angrily. "All these instructions are in French. I could've been done with this by now if it weren't for that, sweetcheeks."

Ziva bent and picked up the sheet of paper sitting atop a package of child-safe netting and fabric that would eventually wrap around the sides of the playpen. Rather than bother with translating the French, she flipped the instructions over and pointed with her free hand to the identical set of instructions on the back, though this time they were in English. "These are not in French, now, are they, my little hairy butt? Hmm?"

"Humph." Tony snatched the paper out of her hand and squinted at the text with tired eyes. "Oh. I knew that, my ninja. I was just testing you."

"Mhmm. Hurry up, Tony. I am tired and I would like to sleep, if you don't mind."

"Well, put your pajamas on, Zee-vah. I'll have this baby ready in a jiffy."

"Why are you getting the baby ready? You are supposed to be working on this playpen. I can just as easily change Lucy."

"I didn't mean the actual baby, Zee. It's a figure of speech. I was referring to the... Never mind. Just get ready, I'll be done soon," he told her, already beginning to piece the contraption together.

"Fine." Ziva quickly slipped into a pair of pajama pants and an old OSU shirt of Tony's that she found in her dresser. She tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry hamper and picked the pink diaper bag up off the floor and set it gently on the bed. She unzipped the bag and dug through it until she found what she was looking for. She set the pale yellow onesie pajamas and clean diaper on the bed and stuffed everything else back in the bag, zipping it up. She grabbed the baby wipes and powder from the pocket on the side and tossed the bag back on the floor, next to her dresser. Then she went into the hallway and pulled a towel from the closet, bringing it back into the room and spreading it out near the end of her bed. Carefully, she reached over and unwrapped the dozing baby from her blanket and lay her on top of the towel. Tony, who had finished with the playpen, was watching her closely.

As Ziva began unsnapping Lucy's current onesie, the little girl opened her eyes and stared up at the former assassin quietly. She pulled off the tiny pink outfit and tossed it aside before starting on the diaper. She pulled it off, rolled it up so that the soiled portion was on the inside, and set it down on the towel, above Lucy's head. Holding Lucy's legs so that her bottom did not touch the towel, Ziva snatched a wipe out of the package next to her and cleaned off the mess the child had made. After she had finished with that, she rolled the wipe up in the same manner as she had done the diaper and set it aside as well. Then Ziva swiftly powdered the baby and strapped on the clean diaper. She reached out for the yellow pajamas which, Tony noticed, had tiny pink flowers all over them, and quickly slipped them on Lucy before lifting the baby into her arms and draping the bunny blanket over her back.

Ziva turned to face Tony, who hurriedly turned his attention back to the playpen as though he'd been focused on it the entire time and not watching her in awe. Ziva raised an eyebrow but did not comment. She nodded to the playpen wordlessly and Tony moved out of the way so that she could gently lay Lucy down and recover her with the blanket.

"I'll just go get ready then," Tony whispered and slipped into the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him. When he reemerged into the bedroom he found the towel and changing stuff cleaned up and Ziva already under the covers, her back to him. She had switched off the overhead light and had the lamp next to the bed on instead. He quietly circled the bed to 'his' side, shed everything but his boxers, and slipped under the covers.

"You're really good with her," he whispered, knowing she was not asleep yet.

Her brown eyes fluttered open, staring at him curiously. "So?"

"It's just... It's surprising to me, that's all." He smiled, hoping that she would not to take that the wrong way.

"I told you, I have done it before. Even if it was about sixteen years ago."

"I know. It's great that you're good with her." He leaned across the small bit of space separating them and pressed his lips to hers. He pulled away after a second, and then leaned in again, this time deepening the kiss. She responded immediately, reaching a hand out and running her fingers through his chest hair. Tony smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arm around her waist, pushing his own hand under her shirt and stroking her back as he pulled her body closer. He quickly unhooked her bra and she helped him pull it off. Tossing it aside, he moved to straddle her waist, hovering above her, not once breaking the kiss. She continued to play with his chest hair, the other hand reaching up to his head, the fingers gently raking his scalp, as he began to trail kisses down her jaw and neck. One hand rested next to her head, propping him up, and his other slipped back under her shirt, sliding up her toned abs to her chest as he began to gently knead her breasts. Ziva let out a moan of pleasure and her hips involuntarily bucked up against his.

After another minute of this, Ziva tightened her grip on his hair, pulling his head back up to hers and kissing him deeply before pulling away.

"Tony."

He didn't respond, continuing his ministrations on her neck and breasts.

"Tony, stop."

"Hmm. Why?" he asked, but didn't stop.

Ziva let out another moan of pleasure and squeezed her eyes shut, dropping her hands to her sides and forcing herself to focus. "Tony, we can't do this," she told him, trying to keep her voice firm.

"Why not?" The kisses slowed but didn't stop.

"The baby, Tony. We can't-" She moaned again, bordering on a whimper. "We can't do this with her here."

Finally, Tony stopped. Letting out a long sigh, he rolled back to his side of the bed. They both continued breathing heavily for a moment before he spoke. "You're right." he sighed again and pulled himself out of bed. "I'm going to take a cold shower."

"Okay," Ziva whispered, releasing a sigh of her own. "Goodnight."

"Night."

When Tony returned to the bedroom ten minutes later, Ziva was already asleep, her snores- much lighter than they were the first time they had shared a bed- filling the room as he switched off the lamp and got back into bed, drifting off into a restless sleep.

* * *

><p>Again, just a filler and sorry it's a tad short. Reviews would be lovely if you feel like it ;)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

I have to tell you guys, I was kind of disappointed by the dearth of reviews for the last chapter in contrast to the previous ones. Was it really that bad? Yikes, I sure hope not. Well, hopefully this will churn up at least a couple more. Enjoy my dear readers! Oh, and look forward to more frequent updates (maybe one a week) because I am now officially on Summer vacation :D

* * *

><p>The warm golden rays of light woke Tony a bit earlier than he would have liked. Or it could have been the beeping alarm. He slapped the off button. Thankfully the baby had slept through the night. He stretched and reached out a hand, feeling only cold, empty sheets beneath his fingers.<p>

"Zee?" he groaned, scratching his head. After receiving no answer, Tony rose groggily out of the bed and shuffled into the bathroom. He relieved himself, washed his hands, and returned to the bedroom. He stared around the room blankly for a moment before grabbing a T shirt off the floor and throwing it on.

Tony nearly tripped over the playpen when he turned to leave the room. Glancing inside, he found a pair of small emerald green eyes staring back at him. Tony frowned. Ziva had left him alone with the baby? The baby that didn't like anybody but her, at that.

When Lucy simply continued staring at him, Tony leaned over and hesitantly picked her up. He braced himself for the crying, but it didn't come. With a sigh and, admittedly, a bit of relief, Tony stopped out of the room and into the kitchen.

He found a note from Ziva on the table.

"Tony, went for a run. Please change Lucy.

Ziva"

Tony grimaced and looked at the baby in his arms. She was still staring at him, a silvery trail of drool running down her chin.

"What?" he asked. Of course, he did not get a response. "Do you need to be changed?"

More drool. More silence.

Tony sighed and carefully turned Lucy around so that her backside faced him. Reluctantly, he tilted his head and sniffed at her bottom. The federal agent gagged and turned the baby back around.

"That's disgusting," he told her. "How did I not notice that before?" Lucy stared back curiously as Tony grabbed a rag off the counter and wiped away the drool.

"How can such a small person make such an awful smell?" he grumbled and walked back to the bedroom.

Recalling Ziva's actions from the night before, Tony grabbed a towel and lay it out on the bed using one hand. He set Lucy down and reached for the diaper bag. He tossed it on the bed and rifled through it until he found the powder, wipes, and a diaper. He unsnapped the bottom of the onesie and then opened the diaper, instantly regretting it. Tony gagged again as the full force of the smell floated up to his nostrils.

Lucy laughed at him.

"Hey, kid. This is not funny. Do you see this?" He pointed at the messy diaper and looked at the child as though he expected her to suddenly start conversing with him.

"Bah," Lucy said. She groped at the swirl of bright green coming out of the diaper bag.

"What? You want this?" Tony reached in and pulled out the toy. It was some sort of plush bug, half yellow and half blue with red feet and swirly green antennas. In the center of the toy was a circle of transparent red plastic with a heart etched into the center. He shook it and then handed it to Lucy.

She clutched the toy tightly, causing it to emit and upbeat little tune. The clear plastic in the middle flashed different colors as the music played.

Eventually, the smell became overbearing and Tony began cleaning and changing Lucy as quickly as possible. He tossed the diaper and wipes in the bathroom garbage and the towel in the hamper before resnapping the onesie and scooping the baby up.

He returned to the kitchen just as Ziva walked through the door. She was in her running gear, a yellow windbreaker and yoga pants, and was coated in a fine sheen of sweat.

"Hey," he greeted. He continued into the kitchen and shifted Lucy, who still clutched the bug toy, to one arm as he began preparing a pot of coffee. "Want some?" he asked.

Ziva shook her head. "No. Thank you. I will just have tea." She gulped the rest of the water from the bottle in her hand and tossed it in the trash. "But first, I need to shower. Will you be okay with Lucy for ten minutes?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure."

She returned in nine minutes, dressed and ready. Tony chugged the rest of his sickly sweet coffee and handed the baby to Ziva before hurrying to the bathroom. It was six thirty-five. They had to be at work in twenty-five minutes.

Ziva quickly drank the tea Tony had made her and ate a banana before going to retrieve the diaper bag from the room. She changed Lucy into a pale blue dress with pink leggings and tiny white socks. Then she sat down at the table and placed the little girl on her lap. Ziva poured some baby cereal on the table.

Lucy glanced up at her, then to the cereal. "Gah." She slapped a tiny hand on some of the cereal and frowned when a couple pieces stuck to her fingers.

Ziva smiled. "You do not want cereal?" she asked.

Lucy squealed.

The former assassin sighed. She would need to get some baby food at some point today. After Lucy refused both a cold bottle and a warm one, Ziva shifted her to her hip and rooted through her fridge in search of something to feed the picky child.

At last, she came across a cup of applesauce and grabbed a small spoon from her silverware drawer. The red headed baby seemed to like it and Ziva continued to feed it to her as Tony strolled back into the room. He was wearing a grey suit with a pale green tie that brought out his eyes.

"Six forty-five," he said. "We gotta get going, Zee-vah. Otherwise Gibbs'll smack us to India and back." He grabbed two muffins, scarfing one down in less than a minute.

Ziva wiped Lucy's face, threw the applesauce cup in the trash and the spoon in the sink, and grabbed her car keys and backpack. "Let's go."

Tony plucked the diaper bag off the table and followed her out the door, locking it behind him.

* * *

><p>They rushed into NCIS three minutes late, but they were in luck. Gibbs was not in the bullpen.<p>

"Morning, Ziva. Tony," McGee greeted. "How was last night?" he teased.

"Wonderful, McNosy. Thanks for asking," Tony replied sarcastically. He put the diaper bag by Ziva's desk then dropped into his chair and started up his computer.

"Good morning, McGee," Ziva greeted pleasantly. She pulled out some toys and Lucy's blanket and spread them out on the floor before setting her down.

The ding of the elevator signaled Gibbs's arrival. He strode through the bullpen, ever-present cup of coffee in hand. He smacked Tony on the way to his desk.

Tony yelped. "What was that for, Boss?" he exclaimed.

"Bein' late, DiNozzo." Gibbs sat in his chair. "Get to work. Let me know when ya find something." He poked the power button on his computer with more force than strictly necessary and leaned back, sipping his coffee.

After thirty-two minutes, the silence only occasionally punctuated by happy squeals from baby Lucy, McGee cleared his throat.

"Boss, I think I have something," he declared.

"What is it, McGee?"

"Ducky said the murder weapon was a .22, right? Well, I've been looking into our suspects and former suspects. Only two people associated with the Colwrights own twenty-twos," McGee told them.

"Lee Young?" Tony asked hopefully. He was really their only suspect at the moment, though not much of one according to Gibbs.

Tim shook his head. "No." He stretched the word out as he brought two gun registration forms up on the plasma. "Phillip Sterling and Wallace Tate."

"Who is Wallace Tate?" Ziva asked. She glanced at Lucy. The baby had fallen asleep among her toys.

"Sherry Tate's husband," Tony answered.

"Tell me more about Phillip Sterling," Gibbs requested.

"Patricia Colwright's boss. Well-respected and highly sought out divorce lawyer. He was born in Redmond, Washington- Washington state- and moved away after high school to attend Harvard Law. After graduating law school, Sterling moved to D.C. and has been here ever since. He has a wife, Elaina Sterling, and twin ten-year-old sons, Sean and Seth."

"Why does he own a gun?" Gibbs asked.

"Apparently he inherited it from his father when he died of a heart attack three years ago and got a license for it so he could use it in case of emergency," McGee said, reading over the registration form on his screen.

"New prime suspect, Boss?" Tony questioned.

"But what is his motive?" Ziva countered. "Why would he want to kill his assistant and her husband?"

"Maybe she did something that made him angry," McGee suggested.

"Then he kills her," Ziva said. "But why kill the husband? And leave the baby?"

"Ran out of time? The neighbor might've interrupted him and he ran."

"Or he left the baby alone as some sort of revenge plot," said Tony. "She did something that affected his kids somehow, so he left hers without parents in retaliation."

"Could be, DiNozzo," Gibbs inserted. "Look into it. What about Tate, McGee? Why does he have a gun?"

"Tate's a hunter, boss. He has a few registered guns."

"I thought Sherry Tate was just Patricia Colwright's friend and babysitter. What possible reason would either she or her husband have for killing them?" said Ziva.

McGee shrugged.

"Boss," Tony said. "Sean, Seth, and Elaina Sterling have been in Florida on vacation for the past week. Phillip Sterling has a ticket booked to fly out in a few days and join them. He had a big case to wrap up before he could leave. I couldn't find anything else on the family."

Ziva sniffed at the air around her desk and grimaced. Lucy was in need of a diaper change. "I do not think Phillip Sterling had any reason to kill the Colwrights," she told them, slinging the diaper bag onto her shoulder and kneeling to pick up the baby. Lucy had woken up and was starting to fuss.

"Neither do I," Gibbs agreed.

"So I guess we're back to square one again," McGee sighed.

Ziva headed to the restroom to change Lucy.

"Not so fast, McGee," Gibbs replied. "We haven't cleared Wallace Tate yet."

"I thought we determined they were clean, Boss?" Tony looked at Gibbs curiously.

"Maybe not. McGee, does Tate have a criminal record?"

"Uhh..." Tim tapped on his keyboard. "Just a couple of speeding tickets, Boss. Do you think he did it?"

"I think we need to find out a little more on Sherry and Wallace Tate," Gibbs said.

"Your gut telling you something, Boss?" Tony asked, leaning back in his chair and lacing his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, DiNozzo. Somethin' ain't right."

* * *

><p>And, we're done. With this chapter, of course. There is still much more to come. If there's something you would like to see happen, put it in a review and I'll chew it over and see if I can fit it in somehow. Well, TTFN, my readers! Thanks for, y'know, reading :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Here's another chapter for ya. Hope you enjoy it and thanks to the people who reviewed and/or subscribed. Anyone watch Leverage? What do you think of the new season so far? I'm not sure yet. Too soon to tell, I guess. Okay, well, off to reading!

P.S. Thanks to Alohagirls101 for giving me a good story idea!

P.P.S. I'm pretty sure there isn't a changing table in the bathroom in NCIS but oh well.

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><p>A woman Ziva vaguely recognized was washing her hands when she walked in. She walked over to the rarely used changing station and opened it up before laying Lucy on it and dropping the bag next to her.<p>

"Cute baby," the woman gushed as she dried her hands. She was tall, taller than Ziva, with shoulder-length light brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a slightly wrinkled navy blue dress and high-heeled sandals. Obviously, she was not a field agent. "Is she yours?"

Ziva looked up, surprised, as she pulled off the pink leggings. "Ah, no," she replied. "She is the daughter of... the victims from our case."

"Oh, poor thing," the woman said. She stuck out her hand and Ziva took it, undoing the diaper with the other. "I'm Allison Shaw. I work in the legal department. I'm just up here consulting with Agent Tanner."

"Special Agent Ziva David. This is Lucy." Ziva removed the dirty diaper and set it aside.

"You're on Gibbs's team, right?" Shaw asked.

"Yes."

"I thought so. You guys are pretty well-known around here. Well, I'd better get back. Tanner isn't very patient. It was nice to meet you, Ziva."

"You too, Allison." Ziva smiled kindly and strapped a new diaper on the baby.

"Bye, Lucy." Shaw gave the baby a little wave and left the lady's room.

Ziva gathered up the baby and the bag and exited as well. When she returned, she found McGee typing on his keyboard like a madman and speaking into the phone between his head and shoulder simultaneously. Tony was working on his computer as well but at only a third of McGee's speed. Gibbs was gone, likely on another coffee run. Ziva, at a loss as for what to do, sat at her desk and pulled out a bottle of formula.

Lucy accepted it this time, consuming about half the bottle before falling asleep. Ziva lay the baby on her blanket again. She wanted to go to sleep with her. For some reason Ziva couldn't understand, she had been exhausted all morning. She exhaled slowly and placed her right elbow on the desk, resting her chin in her palm and closing her eyes for just a minute.

"Ziva."

She was startled by the sudden break in the silence of the bullpen and quickly opened her eyes. "Yes?" She clenched her jaw and held back a yawn. When she looked around she found Tony, McGee, and Gibbs- who she hadn't noticed return- staring at her curiously.

"You've been unresponsive for the past five minutes," Tony told her.

Ziva frowned. She had fallen asleep? "Oh."

"You okay, Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I am fine. Just... Tired, I suppose. Do we have any leads?" she questioned, steering the topic of conversation away from her.

Gibbs and Tony eyed her suspiciously before turning to McGee, who was bringing up photocopied paperwork on the plasma.

"First, Boss," he began, "I just got a call back from Patricia Colwright's sister. Her name is Janice Taggert and she's thirty, Patricia's younger sister. She isn't married and was out of town with a friend so she didn't get my call until she returned late last night. She needs to make some arrangements and then she'll be on a flight over and should be here later tonight or early tomorrow. I also spoke to Patricia's aunt in New Zealand yesterday. She told me she couldn't afford to fly over and that Lucy would be better off with Janice anyway."

Gibbs nodded. "Alright, McGee. What else ya got?"

"I did a little, erm, computer work and I found something interesting about the Tates." He pointed to the logo at the top of one of the forms on the screen. "The Tates have been trying to have children for the past few years and they've tried almost everything. At first they had tried in-vitro and after several failed attempts, they went to a doctor. Apparently, Sherry Tate is unable to bear children of her own. So then they tried other methods." McGee pointed to another logo on the screen. "First, they went to Sunnyside Surrogacy and were accepted by the program. Unfortunately, their surrogate miscarried just after reaching the second trimester. So they abandoned surrogacy and turned to adoption," he indicated the third form on the screen. "But the adoption agency rejected the Tates, due to a lack of money. Money they had spent on all the other methods. Eventually, they just gave up."

"But seventeen months ago, Sherry Tate's friend and coworker gets pregnant easily," Tony said. "Maybe she was jealous and killed the Colwrights because they were able to have the kind of happiness she and her husband never would."

"But why wait so long?" McGee replied. "I mean, it's been over six months since Lucy was born."

"Maybe Sherry or Wallace Tate finally just slapped," Ziva offered.

"_Snapped_, Zee-vah," said Tony. "Maybe the Tates finally _snapped_."

Ziva shrugged. "Whatever. The point is, we have a potential motive."

"And a potential suspect with access to the type of gun that killed the Colwrights," Gibbs added. He grabbed his keys, badge, and gun off the desk. Then he eyed each of his agents contemplatively. Ziva looked eager to get out of the building, McGee was already holding his gear, and DiNozzo appeared to be frantically searching his workspace for something. His badge, Gibbs assumed. "Ziva, McGee, with me. DiNozzo," he paused, the tiniest of smirks playing on his lips, "stay here with the the baby."

Tony shot up straight, eyes widening in disbelief. "What? Boss!"

Gibbs left without another word, McGee and Ziva following with large grins.

Tony frowned as he stared at the sleeping baby across the bullpen.

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><p>Gibbs did not have the time or patience to appeal to a judge for an arrest warrant for the Tates. Besides, he reasoned, they had probable cause and this was a murder investigation.<p>

The car screeched to a halt in front of the Tate residence and the three jumped out.

"Don't let them know they're suspects just yet," Gibbs ordered. "We'll talk to 'em first." He smacked the doorbell.

Sherry Tate answered the door this time. "Agent Gibbs," she greeted. "Back again?"

"We just need some more information on Mrs. Colwright, ma'am," Gibbs lied. "These are Agents McGee and David."

Sherry smiled, a bit hesitantly. "Of course. Please, come in."

She led them to the living room, gesturing toward the tan microfiber love seat by the window. Ziva and McGee sat, Gibbs perched on the armrest.

"Can I get you three anything to drink?" Sherry asked.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Tate," replied Gibbs.

She nodded and settled into an armchair perpendicular to the sofa. "So what can I tell you about Patricia, Agent Gibbs?"

"You said you were friends?" Gibbs glanced around the room surreptitiously.

"Yes, good friends. She was a very friendly woman."

"So she did not have any enemies?" Ziva asked.

"Um," Sherry shrugged. "No. Like I told Agent Gibbs before, there's no one I can think of that might want to hurt Patricia. Are you sure you aren't going at this the wrong way?" she asked. "Maybe it's an enemy of Kristopher's."

"We're looking at every angle, ma'am," Gibbs replied. He eyed Ziva and McGee. They were getting nowhere. It was time to step up the questioning.

"Is your husband home, Mrs. Tate?" McGee asked lightly.

"Yes, he's taking a nap. He had a headache earlier," she explained.

"Do you think you could go get him?"

Sherry's brows furrowed in confusion. "He didn't know Patricia very well. I don't know how he could help you."

"Please?" McGee persisted.

"Okay..." Sherry rose from her chair and disappeared down the hallway. Ziva stealthily stood and moved to peer into the hallway. They could never be certain whether a suspect would run. When she heard voices and movement near one of the doorways, she quickly returned to her seat.

Sherry reappeared with her husband shortly after. He wore jeans and a plain white T-shirt, his hair was messy and he had bags under his eyes. Wallace slumped in the armchair and Sherry sat on the armrest, leaning against him.

"I don't appreciate the rude awakening, Agent Gibbs," Wallace Tate grumbled.

No apologies were forthcoming.

"Mr. Tate, do you own a twenty-two?" asked Ziva.

Tate snorted. "Yeah. I hunt, I own a lot of guns. What does that have to do with anything?"

"When was the last time you used it?"

He eyed Ziva suspiciously. "What's it to you?"

"I heard you two were having a hard time having kids," McGee switched tactics.

Sherry frowned. Wallace glared. "Where the hell did you hear that from?"

"You couldn't have children," Gibbs stated. "But you had to see Lucy Colwright all the time. The happy baby with her happy parents. Something you'd never be."

"So you were jealous," said Ziva. "You begrudged the Colwrights their happiness. So much so that you decided to kill them."

"And the baby would be yours for the taking," McGee continued. "But you didn't have time. The neighbor interrupted you."

Sherry began sobbing. Her husband shoved himself off the chair angrily. Gibbs tackled him before he even had the chance to start running.

Gibbs cuffed him as McGee cuffed Sherry. "Ziva, see if you can find the gun. Bag it. Then we'll take them in."

Ziva nodded and walked down the hall.

"It wasn't fair, Agent Gibbs," Sherry cried. "We tried so hard. Patricia and Kris got pregnant by ACCIDENT!" McGee gripped the wailing woman's arm as he called for someone at NCIS to come pick the two up.

Gibbs kept Wallace Tate on the floor, gun held in one hand warning the man to not even think about struggling.

Ziva returned in ten minutes, just as the NCIS transport people were coming up the driveway. She held a plastic bag containing bullets and a handgun. "I found it. They kept the murder weapon, Gibbs."

"Rookie move," one of the transport agents commented as Gibbs passed Wallace Tate to him. "You want us to take 'em to lock up or what?"

"Interrogation," Gibbs replied. "Separate rooms."

They returned to NCIS fifteen minutes later and made their way up to the squad room.

Ziva and McGee nearly burst into laughter when they saw Tony making funny faces at the baby sitting on his desk. Gibbs observed his senior agent carefully. The man that was so much like a kid himself was surprisingly good with children- sometimes.

A ghost of a smile flickered across Gibbs's face as he thought about Kelly when she was a baby.

At last, Tony seemed to notice them watching him in his peripheral vision and abruptly dropped the silly face.

"Hey." He stretched out the word, grinning sheepishly. "How'd it go?"

"They essentially admitted it," McGee told him, walking to his desk. "They're in interrogation now."

"So it was a combined effort, huh? Bonnie and Clyde." Tony grimaced as Lucy made a noise and splattered his cheek with saliva. He wiped it away and picked the baby up.

"Here," he said, passing her to Ziva. "You can have her back. I already changed her a few minutes ago."

"Gee, thank you, Tony," Ziva replied, holding the baby against her chest.

"YOU changed a diaper, Tony?" McGee asked incredulously.

"Yes, McClueless, I know how to do that," Tony sneered.

McGee resisted the urge to poke out his tongue like a child.

"Janice Taggert called again," Tony announced, sinking back into his desk chair and propping up his feet. "She can't make it until tomorrow morning."

"Fine. Ziva, you'll take the baby for another night." Gibbs eyed Tony knowingly for a brief moment before standing. "The Tates have been sitting for a while. Time to talk."

"Gibbs," Ziva called, "I need to make a trip to the grocery store. I am running out of baby food."

The silver-haired fox nodded. "Go. We'll fill you in when you get back." Then he, Tony, and McGee made their way to the back elevator.

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><p>Ziva strapped Lucy into the NCIS Charger and drove to the nearest supermarket. In the store, she placed the baby carrier in a cart and followed the sign to the baby food aisle, wondering how she had become so comfortable with Lucy. She found that she even enjoyed the girl's presence.<p>

As her eyes scanned the shelves of puréed this and mixed that, Ziva heard a voice behind her.

"Aw, mom, look how cute that baby is!" A rail thin girl of about eleven cooed as she pointed and tugged on her mother's sleeve. The mother turned from surveying the selection of shower gel to smile at the baby and nod to her daughter in agreement. Lucy grinned and babbled, enjoying the attention.

"She's _so_ adorable," the preteen gushed as her mom grabbed a bottle of Dove body wash and continued down the aisle. "Why did you stop having kids after me? I think-"

Ziva chuckled as their voices faded into the din of the supermarket. She grabbed a pack of applesauce and a variety pack of peas and sweet potatoes and tossed them in the cart. As an afterthought, she also threw in a small can of Enfamil baby formula before making her way to the checkout.

"Hi," the cashier greeted cheerfully. She was a petite young woman, in her early twenties with curly blond hair and blue eyes. "Did you find everything okay?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you." Ziva placed the baby food on the counter and pulled out her wallet. She payed for the items in cash and wheeled the cart back to the entrance, carrying the baby seat and the plastic bag of baby food to the car.

Ziva slid into the driver's seat and rubbed her temples. She was tired and the headache was unsurprising. Starting up the car, Ziva glanced back to make sure Lucy was okay before pulling out of the parking stall and driving back to NCIS.

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><p>"What did you plan on doing after that?" Gibbs asked Sherry Tate. She, unlike her husband, was telling them everything they needed to know. And Wallace Tate, who had lawyered up long ago, didn't even have a clue.<p>

Sherry sniffled. "We were going to move away. We had some money saved and we found a nice little place in the country in Oregon. The country is peaceful and a nice place to raise kids. And Lucy would have grown up, never knowing." She sniffed again and wiped at her dry eyes, still red from crying. "If she ever asked, we just planned to tell her she was adopted."

"You had fake identities established?" Gibbs flipped through the photocopies that the forensic techs had given him. They were of false IDs, birth certificates, and the like found in the Tate house.

"Uh huh." Sherry sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Wally took care of all that. We were going to be Sharon, Walter, and Leah Taft. Wally had connections to get us those things."

Gibbs nodded and pushed himself up from the table, grabbing the file folder. "That's all for now, Mrs. Tate." He had his hand on the doorknob when she suddenly spoke up.

"I get a deal, right?" All traces of the sad, pathetic woman with the happy life that had slowly crumbled away over the years suddenly vanished. Now she stared at the Marine turned NCIS agent with hard, determined eyes. "I told you everything. I get the deal. No life, no death sentence."

Gibbs returned her look with a steely gaze of his own. "We'll see," he said, the door slamming shut behind him with a final, resounding thud.

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><p>Well, case solved. But the story ain't over, folks. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Okey dokey. I'm pretty much going to be sitting in my house writing or reading all day, since I have to stay and keep an eye on my little dog. She just had surgery yesterday and isn't allowed to be jumpy or lick her stitches. Luckily she just seems to want to lay next to me and sleep all day, so it won't take that much effort. Anyway, here's a new chapter for your guys. (I know, shocking that it's so soon but I just got into the rhythm of writing for this story. But now I need to work on others.) I hope it's not too terrible. Enjoy!

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><p>When Ziva awoke the next morning it was earlier than even she would have liked. What woke me up? she wondered. It hadn't been the baby... Her answer came in the form of a sudden feeling of intense nausea. Flinging herself out bed, Ziva hurried to the bathroom and dropped to her knees just in time to empty the contents of her stomach- last night's pepperoni pizza- into the toilet. When the retching stopped, Ziva groaned and leaned against the bathtub. She swiped a hand across her mouth and closed her eyes.<p>

She found herself wondering if she had gotten food poisoning. But the pizza had been fresh. Perhaps she had contracted the flu, then? She had not slept well lately. All she needed was some rest.

After ten nausea-free minutes, Ziva heaved herself off the ground and moved to the sink to brush her teeth before returning to bed, where Tony still lay fast asleep. She would not be going for a run today.

Ziva remained in bed for another hour but was unable to go back to sleep. At 0545, she sighed and rolled out of bed to get ready. Tony was still sleeping, as was Lucy. The child's aunt, Janice Taggert, would be arriving at NCIS at 0800 today to take custody of her.

Ziva took a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve blouse. She ran a brush through her hair and left it down, deciding she was not really up to doing anything with it that morning. When she exited the bathroom, she glanced at the clock. 0558. Tony would be awakened by the alarm soon. Lifting a whimpering Lucy out of the playpen, Ziva strode quietly through her apartment and into the living room to change the baby's diaper.

Finding that just the thought of coffee made her a bit nauseous, Ziva settled with tea and set the kettle on the stove to boil. As she waited for that to finish, she grabbed a container of the puréed peas she'd bought yesterday and another small spoon and sat down next to the chair on which she had placed Lucy in her baby seat. Halfway through the process of getting half the peas on every surrounding surface and the other half in the baby's mouth, the kettle let off a high-pitched squeal. Ziva quickly set the container and spoon down and jumped up. She poured some water into a mug and dropped a bag of her favorite chamomile tea into it before returning to the table. Just as she and Lucy got a good rhythm going with the peas, Tony came trudging into the room, hair still dripping from his shower. He had been denied sex yet again last night but at least he'd slept well.

He frowned at the lack of fresh coffee and started a pot before slumping into the chair on Ziva's other side.

"Tea again?" he asked, grimacing at the mess of green goop everywhere.

"Yes. I enjoy tea." Ziva punctuated the statement with a sip from her mug. She looked Tony up and down once before capturing his gaze with hers.

He gulped noticeably at the smoldering look in her chocolate brown orbs.

"Do you think you could get me some napkins?" she asked. The tone of her voice was not one typically used for such requests and he gulped again before complying.

He grabbed the napkins and poured a cup of coffee with lots of cream and sugar and then returned to his seat.

"Thank you." Ziva wiped up the peas and tossed all but the spoon in the trash and lifted Lucy out of her seat. "I'll go change her."

"Kay," was Tony's response. He gulped down some coffee and watched as his partner sauntered back into her kitchen with a clean, freshly dressed baby.

"What do you want for breakfast?" asked Ziva. She placed Lucy back in the baby seat. "We have twenty-five minutes."

Tony shrugged. "Sit. I'll make some toast."

He rose and grabbed four slices of wheat bread, popping them in the toaster. Then he walked to the fridge, pulling out the butter for himself and then a knife from the drawer. He removed the hot toast a moment later, placing two dry slices on a paper towel and setting them on the table in front of Ziva. He spread generous helpings of butter on the other two before returning the container to the fridge and sitting down. He consumed half of one slice in a single bite. Ziva rolled her eyes, nibbling on her own toast. She chewed slowly, still feeling inklings of the nausea from earlier.

Tony stared at her considerately but said nothing. She finished her first piece of toast just as he swallowed the final bite of his second.

"Thank you," she said quietly, glancing at Lucy. The baby had once again fallen asleep.

"No problem," he paused. "You didn't go for a run this morning?"

Ziva slowly shook her head. "No."

She didn't explain. He didn't push.

"We should leave now." She crumpled up her paper towel, glad to find that she no longer felt sick. "Janice Taggert will be arriving in a couple hours to take Lucy."

"Right. Let's go."

* * *

><p>As Gibbs passed through the NCIS lobby area, he heard one of the security guards call his name.<p>

"Hey, Agent Gibbs!" said Tom Donoghue. The guard beckoned him over.

"Yeah, Tom?" Gibbs sipped his bitter black coffee.

Donoghue gestured to a brunette woman who was restoring all metallic possessions to their proper places and gripping a small brown duffel bag. "Lady says she's here to see you about a baby or something like that."

Gibbs nodded his thanks. "I'll take it from here." He walked up to the woman who was just clipping on a visitor's badge. "Janice Taggert?"

The woman looked up, a small smile forming on her face. But it didn't reach her eyes, where sadness from her recent loss lingered visibly. She proffered her free hand. "Jane, please. I've always hated the name Janice. You must be Agent Gibbs. Agent DiNozzo told me to ask for you."

"Yep," he shook her hand briefly and then led her to the elevator and up to the squad room.

When they entered the bullpen they found Ziva feeding Lucy some goopy orange sweet potatoes that the baby seemed to enjoy.

The smile that spread across Jane's face was genuine this time. "She's such a beautiful little girl," she said. "I haven't seen her since she was born. Patricia either, for that matter. I've just been busy... I regret that now." She stepped forward slowly.

Ziva looked up. She tossed the rest of the sweet potato container in the trash and stood, lifting Lucy up with her. "Hello. You must be Lucy's aunt."

"Jane." Jane held out her hand again, quickly retracting it when she realized Ziva's were full.

"Ziva David."

"Thank you for taking care of Lucy. I never thought I would have to do this kind of thing. You never think it will happen to you, y'know?"

"It was no problem, really." Ziva held the baby out. "Would you like to take her?" At Jane's tentative nod, she passed the little girl to her now-guardian.

"Hi there, Lucy," whispered Jane. "Remember me? I'm your Auntie Jane." She rocked from side to side gently.

"We already took care of everything with Social Services," McGee told her, laying a sheet of paper beside her on Ziva's desk. "All you need to do is sign right here. We can have someone take you over to your sister's house later to grab some things. Everything else can be handled later, when you get their wills."

"Okay. Thank you so much."

Jane Taggert and Lucy Colwright departed an hour later, after learning a few care techniques that Ziva had picked up on. Ziva quietly excused herself to the restroom shortly after and Tony followed. Gibbs had disappeared once again so he didn't bother with an explanation to McGee, who watched on curiously.

When he entered he found her standing in front of the sink, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

"You gonna miss her?" he asked.

Ziva gave a shrug. "Maybe. I shouldn't. That's a rule, is it not? Rule... ten."

Tony rested his hand over hers where it lay on the counter. "Sometimes it happens. And I gotta admit, she is a great little kid."

"Yes, she is."

"And she didn't hate me. That's a plus."

Ziva smiled softly and turned to face him. "Not all children hate you, Tony. Remember Carson?"

Tony grinned. "Yeah, the one that beat me at my movie trivia game. He was a cool kid."

"Yes." The smile on Ziva's face faded.

Tony frowned and tapped her chin with his forefinger, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Ziva."

"I just... I hate that I broke rule ten. I don't even know how I became so attached. We only had Lucy for a couple days." She dropped her gaze to the floor, trying to sort out the emotions coursing through her. Why am I acting like this? she wondered. Where her walls when she needed them. Those tall steel walls she'd had her whole life, where nothing could get out and no one could get in. But she realized the walls had been falling for a while now, ever since she had made a home for herself at NCIS six years ago. And her family- not biological, but something just as good or better, in her case- was slowly making its way through those deteriorating walls. Some were closer than others.

Tony ran his thumb gently across her cheek. "You were good with her. It's okay, you'll get over it." He placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"I..." She looked up at him, brown irises meeting green. He had changed over the years, too. They had been together, so to speak, for a while now but was it really more than just sex? She had been struggling with her feelings for her partner for years, never acting upon them because something was always holding her back. Tony would reject her, Gibbs would not approve, they would fall apart. There were too many what if's and dangers and as much as Ziva hated to admit it, it scared her. For now, she would be happy with just the sex.

Rising on her tiptoes, Ziva pressed a tender kiss to her partner's lips. There were some dangers that excited her, like the risks of doing this at work, and she slowly walked him backwards into the door, turning the deadbolt with a flick of her wrist. She felt Tony's excitement as well and both smiled into the kiss.

* * *

><p>"This is so awesome, McGee. Do you know how long I've been waiting for those two to get their act together?" Abby said, spinning in her desk chair and hugging Bert. "Oh and by the way, you and Palmer owe Ducky and I two hundred bucks because we totally won the bet."<p>

"What?" McGee stopped her chair. "We do not. How do you know for sure when they started?"

Abby rolled her eyes as though she was speaking to a particularly dense student. "_Because_, Timmy. Paris is the only obvious choice. Where else would it have happened, huh?"

McGee shrugged. "I told you, Abby, I'm not even sure if they really are together."

"Of course they are!" she exclaimed. "You told me they arrived together today and yesterday and you never heard Gibbs assign Tony to help with protection detail. On a baby, might I add. They really aren't that hard to protect."

"Maybe it was just a coincidence, though. And Gibbs _could_ have assigned it, I just might not have been there," McGee replied uncertainly.

"Rule 38, McGee! No such thing as coincidences!"

"Um, actually, I believe that's Rule 39. Rule 38 is-"

Abby held up a hand, silencing him. "Whatever. The important thing is that all the clues point to them being together. Didn't you also say you even teased Tony about the other night and he responded?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then that's absolute _proof_ that Tony was with Ziva and the baby. Don't you think?"

"I guess so," McGee conceded. "They have been acting kind of strange these past months. _But_, Abby! That's not proof that it began in Paris, so Palmer and I don't owe you guys anything yet."

"Yet, McGee. That there is the operative word." Abby stood and walked into her office, McGee following like the faithful partner in crime he was sure to become soon.

"Remember when we were in Mexico?" she asked. She placed Bert on her desk and turned to face him.

"Yeah..." he replied.

"And you said Tony told _he_ took the couch, but Ziva told _me_ that _she_ took it?"

"Uh huh..."

"Well, that's your proof. There's something hinky about that. They were clearly lying to us, which means they both slept in the bed. Together. Or," she drew the word out, "they shared the bed and didn't sleep at all." She accompanied the statement with a wag of her eyebrows.

McGee squeezed his eyes shut. "Ew, Abby. Or maybe all they did was sleep." The thought of his two coworkers/friends sleeping together was just a bit unnerving.

"What, McGee? You wrote about 'Tommy,'" air quotes, "and 'Lisa,'" air quotes, "being together in your books so you've obviously thought about it." She placed her hands on her hips and smiled triumphantly. "Now, shoo." She flicked her hand at him. "I have to call Ducky. We have a victory to celebrate. And you might want to tell Palmer to have a hundred bucks ready to pay up."

* * *

><p>The bullpen was empty when they returned. They sat at their desks and began dutifully typing their reports, occasionally stealing quick teasing glances at each other from across the space.<p>

Their current staring match was broken as Gibbs strode in with a fresh cup of coffee. "Knock it off, you two." Their gazes swiftly jumped back to their computer screens.

The remainder of the day was spent finalizing the reports for the Colwright case. At last, Gibbs sent them home at 2100 and the three younger agents gathered their things with sighs of relief.

"Well, I'm just going to say goodbye to Abby before I leave. Goodnight," McGee said, watching as his coworkers waved and departed to the main elevator. Together. He looked back as the doors closed and they disappeared from view before making his way to the back elevator.

* * *

><p>They went to Ziva's apartment again that night. She watched silently while Tony packed up the playpen and set it in the corner.<p>

"What are we going to do with that?" he asked.

Ziva shrugged. "I still have baby food in the fridge as well."

"Well, we have all weekend to take care of it. Right now I just want to sleep," and as if on cue, Tony yawned. Stretching his arms above his head, he fell back onto her bed with a contented sigh.

Ziva was exhausted, too. After brushing her teeth and throwing on sweats and the OSU T-shirt, she flipped off the lights and snuggled into the covers beside him, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

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><p>There. Enough Tiva for those of you asking for it? There's still more to come, I assure you. Reviews make me a very happy person ;). Thanks for reading!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

I got some nice reviews for last chapter. Some alerts and favorites as well. Thank you! Here's the next one.

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><p>That morning Ziva slept until 0516, when she was once again woken by nausea. What was left in her stomach of the Chinese takeout they'd eaten at their desks last night came back up with a vengeance. When the urge to be sick at last petered out, Ziva remained with her head above the toilet bowl for several minutes, head resting on the cushion of her crossed forearms. She was thankful, at least, that Tony seemed to have slept right through the vomiting once again. She didn't need his senseless worry over her to go into overdrive. He would inevitably tell Gibbs and then her boss would make her take a sick day on Monday, whether she was feeling better irrelevant to his hasty and incontestable decision-making process. And sick days were something she despised vehemently.<p>

No, it was best that no one knew, that no one worried. It was only the flu, she assured herself. It would go away in a few days and then she'd be fine.

With a reluctant sigh, Ziva pushed herself away from the toilet, standing and flushing it before shuffling to the sink to clean up.

She completely bypassed the bed this time, knowing any attempts to return to sleep would be fruitless. And with her stomach still ill at ease, Ziva was positive a run would not serve to be the remedial outlet that it normally was.

When she sidled into the kitchen and opened the fridge, she frowned. Other than the typical condiments and a half-empty bag of wilted lettuce, her fridge was utterly devoid of anything edible. When was the last time she had grocery shopped for herself? There were, of course, two containers of baby food on the top shelf- not that she was going to eat those. She gave a fleeting thought to what she _would_ do with the baby food- one applesauce and one sweet potato purée- and then remembered that her neighbor across the hall had a nine month old little girl. Closing the fridge, Ziva determined that she would take the food over later, when it was a much more reasonable time of day. It would be better than simply tossing it in the trash, she decided.

Ziva sighed, scratching her head thoughtfully. She knew she needed to eat something to fill the void in her recently-emptied stomach, regardless if she felt truly hungry or not. There was bread, but while toast had been helpful yesterday, today it simply did not sound appealing. Opening a cupboard, she spotted a box of Raisin Bran and a box of Tony's beloved Coco Puffs, neither of which she could eat, seeing as there was a distinct lack of milk in the refrigerator. She also found a box of peanut butter granola bars and three packets of plain oatmeal. She grabbed one of the latter out and shut the cupboard, plucking a tea bag from the box on the counter before going through the oh so familiar motions of preparing the kettle.

At 0557, Ziva settled into one of her kitchen chairs with a steaming mug of chamomile tea and a small bowl of virtually tasteless oatmeal. It was the weekend and therefore, she knew, Tony would not emerge from the bedroom for at least another hour or two. Normally, the former assassin would go for a nice, long, and stress-relieving run. One thing that- save for a shortened distance- had not changed much since Somalia. Afterward, Tony would typically be either waking up or awake and, if it was the former, she would then help him do so in a rather enjoyable manner.

But to Ziva's bewilderment, not even _sex_ sounded appealing right then. She sighed and chewed her oatmeal slowly, attempting to remember what time her usual grocery store opened. She recalled somewhat happily that the nearest Safeway was open 24 hours a day.

Finishing her tea and oatmeal quickly, Ziva tossed her dishes in the sink before returning quietly to her room to make herself look presentable. She emerged six minutes later in tan cargo pants and a thin, burgundy sweater with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. After writing Tony a brief note, she grabbed her keys and wallet and left her apartment.

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><p>Tony would have been more surprised if Ziva <em>had<em> been in the bed next to him. As much as he would have enjoyed going back to sleep- it was only 0630- it seemed, after laying there for eight minutes, that this was an impossibility today.

Tony grumbled incoherently as he heaved himself out of bed and stumbled down the hall towards the kitchen in hopes of finding a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him. He had no such luck. Instead, he found another note from Ziva on the table, but instead of the accustomed 'Went for a run,' it read, 'Went to the grocery store, Z." in her elegant handwriting.

Why she went to the grocery store at such an ungodly hour was beyond him, but he simply gave a dismissive shrug and started his coffee, still clad only in his the blue plaid boxers he'd worn to bed.

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><p>Ziva was one of only three patrons in the store that morning. She took a cart and began walking down every aisle, tossing in anything she found that she needed. The cart contained many fruits and vegetables, which Ziva knew Tony would disapprove of. He much more enjoyed the dessert and junk food aisles.<p>

An elderly woman emerging from the personal hygiene aisle with a value pack of adult diapers greeted Ziva with a warmth and enthusiasm not normally encountered so early in the morning. Ziva smiled and waved back at the woman- who was just barely taller than her cart- and turned down the same aisle. She seized a bottle of lavender vanilla shampoo and the corresponding conditioner and continued down the aisle, past the protein powders and the hair supplies and the razors and slowed to a halt at the end.

Ziva stared at the shelves of feminine hygiene products and contraceptives and felt her stomach churn unexpectedly. When was the last time...?

Another product caught her eye and her churning stomach dropped into her shoes. No, it wasn't possible. And after Somalia...

She remembered the symptoms. Remembered when she was a small girl and her mother was pregnant with Tali and when she had morning sickness, three-year-old Ziva would comfort her because, by that time, her father was away at work and even when he was there, comforting had never been Eli's forte. She recalled as well how her mother had complained of headaches and exhaustion and Ziva's heart suddenly began beating just a bit faster than normal. Her palms, where they rested on the cart handle, became slick and, as a last minute decision, she quickly threw in one of the purple boxes before rushing out of the aisle.

It's only to prove you're not, Ziva assured herself. To back up what you already know.

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><p>Ziva was in a daze as she drove home. She drove- as Tony would say- like a normal person, concerned that she would kill herself or someone else if she didn't.<p>

Tony was sitting at the table in his boxers when she came in with grocery bags on her arms. He sipped his coffee and waggled his eyebrows suggestively but she didn't notice.

"Ziva?"

"Hmm?" She started putting milk and produce in the fridge.

Tony eyed her carefully for a moment before standing to help. Ziva tossed him a look he'd never seen before as he reached for a bag, pulling out crackers and coffee beans.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged and tossed her an amused smile. "Ya just seem a bit jumpy, that's all."

"I think you have had too much coffee," she said. She pushed a bag away from him and emptied the contents of another onto the counter. Cheese, bread, and almonds spilled out and they put the items in their proper places. Ziva grabbed the bag she'd pushed away and turned to him.

"Could you finish?" she asked, pointing to the two remaining bags of cereal, eggs, and other food items. "I will just go put this stuff in the bathroom."

"Uhh, sure." She walked away and he couldn't help but stare at her ass in those cargo pants for a minute before returning to the groceries.

Ziva shut the door and placed the shampoo, conditioner, and tissue box under the counter. She crumpled up the plastic bag and threw it away, staring at the remaining item.

She picked up the box and carefully read the directions. Two minutes. She would have to wait two minutes.

With a sigh, Ziva gently tore open the box and removed a test stick. She followed the directions before setting it on the counter and checking the clock. Two minutes. One hundred and twenty seconds. When they were finally over, she rose from her perch on the edge of the bathtub.

Ziva stood completely still, gaze fixed on the small white stick resting on the bathroom counter. On the tiny blue sign in the center of it.

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><p>Hmmm. I don't actually know whether there would be a Safeway near where Ziva would live or whether it would be open 24 hours a day, I just know that the Safeway grocery store near my house is, so I'm going off that. Anyway, thanks for reading! Sorry the chapter was pretty short (and possibly awful). I'll try to update again in the next day or two, but I do emphasize 'try.'<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't be writing when I read fics by people like Sashile. Seriously, Sashile (writes Tiva!)- and several other writers I'm sad not to be able to remember the names of right now- is great, check out their (gender-neutral possessive pronoun) stuff; if you like mine, you'll love theirs. Some of these writers just put my stuff to shame, y'know? But I'll keep writing, 'cause I like it, you guys seem to like it, and I like reading your reviews even more.

And speaking of reviews, wow! Thank you all for the loveliness! We're almost to 100 on this story, that'll be a first for me as a writer. Sorry I took a while but I had other stories I needed to update as well. This and one of my other fics were receiving all the attention. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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><p><em>Ziva stood completely still, gaze fixed on the small white stick resting on the bathroom counter. On the tiny blue sign in the center of it.<em>

A blue plus. _'A '+' means you're pregnant'_ is what the box said. Pregnant. Ziva bit her lower lip. The test weren't _one hundred_ percent accurate...

She considered trying the second test, but remembered Tony would be waiting. She quickly stooped and stuck the box and remaining test at the back of the cabinet, hidden behind bars of soap and rolls of toilet paper.

Returning to the kitchen, she found Tony sipping a second cup of coffee and leaning against the counter, still in his boxers.

"Want some?" he asked, raising his mug.

Ziva shook her head. "Ah, no. Thank you. I will just have water." She pulled a bottle out of the fridge, twisted it open, and took a sip.

"You didn't go for a run today," he said it more as question than a statement.

She shrugged, took another sip. "I needed to go to the store."

"At six-thirty? We could've gone later."

Another shrug, another sip.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He set down his mug and stepped forward to wrap his arms around her slim waist. She spun in his embrace and tilted her head up, bringing them face to face.

"I am fine," she said. "Just tired."

Tony smiled and waggled his eyebrows. "Then maybe you should sleep in and wake up with me more often," he suggested. "There are other forms of exercise besides running."

Ziva chuckled, running an index finger down his hairy chest. "Or you could get up early and go running with me," she told him.

Tony grimaced as though she had just suggested they go skydiving off the apartment building without safety harnesses. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Suit yourself." Ziva twisted out of his arms and grabbed her water as she made her way to the living room. "And you are on your own for breakfast. I already ate."

"Humph." Tony watched her go, disappointed that she'd either ignored or missed his somewhat subtle proposition. Pulling out the new carton of milk, he grabbed a spoon, bowl, and Coco Puffs and settled in for a delicious and chocolatey breakfast.

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><p>By 0900, they had showered and dressed. While Tony was attempting to sort their dirty clothes into piles of whites, darks, and colors, Ziva was supposed to be cleaning the bathroom. 'Supposed to,' because she wasn't, really. Every time she glanced at the garbage bag sitting by the closed bathroom door, Ziva thought about the test inside it. The positive pregnancy test.<p>

She was yanked out of her current reverie by her ringing phone and stopped her continual, unconscious scrubbing of the already clean sink faucet to pull it out of her pocket.

"David."

_"Ziva, it's Abby. I'm so glad you answered! I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today? We haven't had much girl time in a while, y'know? And I kind of wanted to talk to you about some things..."_ Abby's voice trailed off for a moment, then, _"So?"_

Ziva sighed, gave the garbage bag another sideways glance. While she had never been much for senseless 'girl talk,' the urge to get out of her apartment and do just that was suddenly very great and she found herself answering, "Sure, Abby."

A giddy squeal came from the other end of the line. _"Great! I'll pick you up at your apartment at ten. Is that fine?"_

"Yes. I will see you then, Abby. Bye." She hung up and returned the phone to her pocket, glancing at the clock. Abby would be there in forty-five minutes. That gave her just enough time to finish cleaning the bathroom and bedroom and then...

She opened the cabinet under the sink and stared at its contents. After a moment of deliberation, Ziva reached to the back and pulled out the box. The instructions were ingrained in her memory. Open the package, remove the cap, pee on the stick, wait two minutes. She did exactly this. The waiting was the hardest part.

She stared at the clock. Two minutes. Abby would be there in forty-one.

Ziva clenched her fists. Maybe looking was the hardest part. She gave it another ten seconds before turning her head.

The circular display revealed another little blue plus. Plus for positive. Plus for pregnant. It was still possible that both tests had been wrong. Wasn't it?

A knock at the bathroom door startled her and she quickly concealed the test in tissue as she had done the first one before shoving it in the garbage bag. Folding the box into a square of white and purple cardboard, she stuck it in her pocket.

"Yes?" She opened the door, revealing Tony standing on the other side.

"I'm done with the laundry. You finished in here yet? Maybe we could-"

She cut him off. "Almost. Abby called. She wants to have some 'girl time' and she is picking me up in about thirty-five minutes."

Tony frowned dejectedly. "Okay. I should probably leave before she gets here, then." When she didn't respond he continued, "I'll come back tonight? We can have dinner and a movie night."

Ziva nodded. "Yes, that sounds nice. I will cook."

"Great," he grinned. "I'll bring the movies and popcorn."

Despite the whirlwind of thoughts and restrained emotions swirling through her, some of them not so congenial, she smiled in return. She rose to her tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on his lips before grabbing the garbage bag and following him through the bedroom and down the hallway to the kitchen.

He grabbed his keys and threw her a 'DiNozzo grin.' "See ya later, Zee-vah!" he called and moments later, she heard the apartment door shut behind him.

Though she felt slightly guilty about having blown him off, it admittedly felt nice to have some time to herself for a little while. Besides, she had spent the past several days- including the previous weekend- with Tony. Maybe time with Abby would do her some good.

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><p>The knock on her door at exactly ten o'clock brought Ziva out of her now dust-free bedroom, where she had spent the last half-hour trying her utmost to avoid any thoughts on pregnancy, babies, and the like. Luckily, Tony had stored the playpen used during Lucy Colwright's stay in the hall coat closet.<p>

She was not surprised to find a smiling, Caf-Pow!-toting Abby when she opened the door. "You are very punctual," she observed, gesturing for the eccentric Goth to come in.

"I'm just excited," Abby replied. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has." Ziva closed the door and turned to watch Abby do a three-sixty in the center of her living room. The forensic scientist- and every other team member that wasn't Tony- had only been to her new apartment a handful of times. 'New' only because it was not, of course, the apartment that had been blown to smithereens before she left for Israel over two years ago. Thinking back on it, Ziva couldn't believe it had been so long since those few hellish and confused months away from her family at NCIS.

"It smells nice in here," Abby stated once she'd completed her spinning inspection.

"I cleaned a bit this morning," explained Ziva.

"Oh. Cool. So are you ready to go?"

Ziva nodded. "Where are we going?" she asked as she locked her apartment door behind them.

"I was thinking the mall," said Abby. "We can shop a little and then have some lunch in the food court."

Ziva shrugged as they stepped onto the elevator. "Alright. Shop for what, exactly?"

"You know, girl stuff! Ziva, you've been deprived of this for too long."

Ziva smiled. "I wouldn't call it _deprived_..."

"Yep, it's deprived," Abby declared, unlocking her car. "But I must say, you've come a long way since you first started at NCIS." They slid in and she started the car. "It's just good to be girly sometimes, Ziva."

Ziva chuckled. "If you say so."

"Oh, I say so."

At the mall, Abby dragged Ziva to the next clothing and shoe store. She carried one bag, containing a few pieces of clothing, and Ziva was empty-handed. "I promise, Ziva. Just one more store and then we'll take a break for lunch."

"Fine, but I-"

"Nope, I don't wanna hear it. Look!" Abby pointed. "A shoe sale!" She pulled Ziva towards a rack of boots and grabbed a black studded platform. "Aren't these great?"

Ziva shrugged. "I suppose. They look like the ones you are wearing, to me."

Abby pushed her lower lip forward in a pout. "Okay, no shoes then. Let's go look at dresses." She led Ziva to the dress section of the store.

After a few minutes of perusing the colorful selection, Abby pulled a knee-length, light green dress off a rack. It was simple, with two-inch shoulder straps leading down to an 'X' design in the chest material. She turned and pressed the dress into Ziva's hands. "You have to try this on," she commanded, spinning her towards the fitting room and giving her a light shove.

With a sigh, Ziva entered the stall and locked it. Resisting Abby would have been futile. She quickly undressed and slipped on the dress, barely giving herself a glance in the mirror before stepping out for Abby to observe.

The animated scientist grinned when Ziva emerged from the fitting room. "Ziva, that looks amazing! You _have_ to buy it!"

Ziva looked down, picking absently at the fabric. "Where would I even wear this, Abby?"

"I don't know, a date or something. Just look!" Abby turned Ziva so she was facing a mirror attached one of the store's support beams.

In truth, Ziva did like the dress. The green was nice; it reminded her of her first undercover mission at NCIS, when she and Tony had pretended to be married assassins Sophie and Jean Paul Ranier. She liked the design as well. The material adequately hid the most visible of her scars from Somalia. Though she was not very self-conscious of these or any others, it was comforting not to have them showing because, in her experience, when people saw scars, they typically asked questions.

"So?" Abby asked hopefully.

Ziva felt the corners of her mouth tilt upward just a bit. "Alright," she acquiesced. She returned to the fitting room to change. "Though I still do not know when I'd wear it."

She emerged from the stall with the dress draped over her arm.

"You'll find a use for it someday, I'm sure," Abby said. C'mon, let's go to the register and then we can have lunch."

They ended up eating at Subway, as Ziva had rejected every other restaurant in the food court.

Ziva slowly chewed her Veggie Delite sandwich as she gazed into space thoughtfully, unaware that she had tuned out of Abby's ramblings about some famous woman she'd met at a forensics conference. Abby noticed Ziva's distant look and stopped her explanation, setting down her BLT to stare at Ziva in analytical-friend/scientist mode. "You're not listening," she pointed out.

The ex-assassin's eyes slid to Abby's. "What?"

Abby frowned. "You didn't hear a word I said. Are you okay?"

"I am sorry, Abby. I-" She paused. She what? What could she tell Abby? The girl was not exactly known for keeping things quiet. Then she remembered the box, still in her pocket. She had forgotten to recycle it after Tony left. The box. It had previously contained two pregnancy tests, both of which she'd taken. Both of which had been positive.

"Ziva? You look a little pale. You are okay, right?" Abby was worried. Ziva wasn't one to lose her composure very often.

A baby. She couldn't have a baby. She had a job that was dangerous and time-consuming and hadn't past events shown that she could barely keep _herself_ out of trouble? How would she raise a child? She was ex-Mossad, her maternal instincts were severely lacking. Taking care of a six-month-old for two days was vastly different to raising a child for eighteen _years_.

"Ziva? You're killing your sandwich."

"What?" Ziva snapped out of it, looking down to see that she was, indeed, crushing the sandwich in her grip. "Oh." She set it down and accepted the napkins Abby handed her. "Thank you."

"Ziva, seriously, what's wrong with you?" Abby asked. "First you're zoned out and then you're strangling your lunch... Is it Tony?"

Ziva's head snapped up. "Tony?"

Abby let a small grin cross her face. "Yeah. McGee says he and you are sleeping together."

Ziva furrowed her brow. "McGee and I? We are _not_ sleeping together."

"No, Ziva, you and _Tony_. Tim says he thinks you and Tony are together."

"He is my partner-"

"Don't give me that BS," Abby interrupted sternly. All thoughts of lunch had gone out the window. "Are you or aren't you? C'mon Ziva, friends tell each other these things."

Ziva glared. "You did not tell me you and McGee are seeing each other," she accused.

"We-" Abby blinked in surprise. "How...?"

Ziva's eyebrows rose. "McGee does not come in every other morning with that smile on his face because of just any girl."

Abby crossed her arms in surrender. "Humph. Alright, fine, but it's just a casual thing, I swear. Now," her face grew serious, "you and Tony?"

Ziva shrugged, temporary distraction from her dilemma, now over. She nervously toyed with the chunk of cardboard in her pocket. "Yes..." she answered finally. "Tony and I are sleeping together."

Abby grinned but it dropped when she realized her friend wasn't reciprocating the action.

Instead, Ziva was frowning. Thinking of Tony brought up the matter of telling him. If she WAS pregnant, how would he react? He was Tony DiNozzo, after all. She doubted one of his desires was to be saddled with a child. A child meant eighteen years of commitment, something that neither of them were particularly good at.

Ziva paled again and Abby waved a hand in front of her face. "Did you guys get in a fight or something?" she asked.

Ziva sighed. If she did not tell _someone_, this would drive her insane. Insane people do not make good decisions. Without a word, she pulled the box out of her pocket and slid it across the table to Abby.

The forensic scientist glanced at Ziva quizzically before reaching out to take it. She slowly unfolded the cardboard and stared at it.

"'e.p.t.'" She looked up. "A pregnancy test?"

Ziva stared at her hands, nodded.

It was as though everyone else in the mall had disappeared. The cacophony of voices, and cooking food, and screeching chairs faded as Abby asked, "Are you pregnant?"

She clasped her hands tightly, the knuckles turned white. "I might be."

Abby's jaw dropped. She did a double-take, read the box again. "Did you take the tests?"

"Yes..."

"And?"

Ziva closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Both were positive."

Abby didn't allow herself to become excited just yet. "But you're still not sure? What made you think you were pregnant in the first place?"

"Morning sickness," Ziva mumbled. "For the past two days."

The perky Goth took a deep, calming breath. "We can go to my lab? Do a blood test," she offered. "If it would make you feel better."

Somehow they did end up at NCIS on a Saturday, in Abby's lab. While Ziva pressed a ball of cotton to her inner elbow, Abby placed a vial of blood in the mass spectrometer.

"It will only take a minute," she assured her.

True to Abby's word, the computer _ding_ed not long after. Ziva watched expectantly as the scientist called up the results and looked them over. When Abby at last turned around and spoke, there was an underlying note of excitement in her voice that Ziva couldn't seem to feel herself.

"There are elevated levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in your blood," Abby proclaimed.

Ziva had a gut feeling that 'elevated levels' did not mean everything was perfectly normal.

"HCG is a hormone that stimulates the production of estrogen and progesterone," she continued. "Its presence in blood and urine is an indicator of pregnancy."

Ziva remained silent, nodding slowly. Abby waited, but someone who mainlines caffeine can only hold their composure for so long.

"Okay, Ziva, I know you're still kind of absorbing this and all but I just want to tell you that I'm really excited. I mean, it's the first ever NCIS baby! And the fact that it's yours and Tony's makes it so much better because that baby is going to be so cute!" Abby paused to breathe. "It is Tony's, right?"

"Yes... Abby... How am I going to take care of a baby? Tony... Well, he is Tony. And Gibbs-" Ziva said what Abby assumed to be a Hebrew expletive. "He is going to kill me."

Abby stepped forward, pulling the distraught agent into a bone-crushing hug. "The bossman won't kill you," she assured. "He might be angry, he might give you and Tony a hundred head-slaps, but he won't kill you. And Tony? He'll be happy about it if he knows what's good for him."

Ziva chuckled, wrapping her arms around Abby to return the embrace. "Thank you, Abby."

"No problem, Ziva. And don't worry, your secret's safe with me as long as you want to keep it."

"I- Thank you. Again." Ziva smiled as they pulled away, eyes shifting to the computer. "Pregnant," she whispered in disbelief.

"You should tell Tony," advised Abby. "He needs to know."

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><p>She'd decided to make baked chicken ziti with spinach and a garden salad in a light vinaigrette dressing. Just as she stuck the pasta in the oven, there was a knock at her door.<p>

Tony was there, wearing the same clothes he'd left in that morning, a stack of DVDs and a pack of microwave popcorn in his hands.

"Hey," he greeted, stepping past her into the apartment.

"Hi."

She followed him into the living room and he set the DVDs on the coffee table. Then he turned, stepping forward and pulling her into a deep kiss. They stopped only after they'd surpassed the need for oxygen.

"How was girl time with Abby?" he breathed, green eyes shining.

"It was good," she replied. She spun on her heel and strode into the kitchen. "And your day alone?"

"Oh, wonderful," Tony quipped. He sniffed the air as his stomach rumbled. "Smells great in here."

"Thank you. I am making baked ziti."

"Great. Pasta is an Italian staple." He patted his gut fondly, a proud grin on his face.

Ziva chuckled. "Of course it is. I can tell it's one of _your_ favorites," she teased, reaching out to smack his stomach lightly.

"Hey," he frowned. "Just for that, I'm not letting you have any of this popcorn." He stuck the package in the back pocket of his jeans.

Ziva wrinkled her nose. "I do not _want_ any of it, now."

The oven timer buzzed and she pulled on oven mitts to retrieve the ziti. She placed the pan on top of the stove and removed the mitts so she could grab the salad out of the fridge, then put both on the table. Tony took out plates and silverware and set the table before grabbing cups and filling them with ice water. Sitting down, they dished their food, Tony serving himself nearly double the amount of pasta Ziva had.

Dinner was rather uneventful, filled only with the sounds of clanking dishes and occasional comments on recent cases. Once they'd finished, the leftovers were packed away and the dishes cleaned.

After changing into more comfortable clothing- sweats and a tank top for Ziva, sweats and an OSU shirt for Tony- the two collapsed onto the couch.

"I picked a few movies for us to choose from," Tony told her, spreading out the selection. He'd gone with black and whites. "Some of the best of all time," he said. _Manhattan_, _Casablanca_, and _12 Angry Men_. "Have your pick."

Ziva shrugged, tapped the case for _Manhattan_.

"Great choice." She rolled her eyes. He would have said the same no matter what she'd chosen. "1957 film starring the great Henry Fonda. Drama, mystery." He waggled his eyebrows and stood to put the disc in the DVD player. "Nominated for three Oscars."

"Sounds fantastic, Tony," Ziva deadpanned, stretching her legs out in Tony's vacated spot. He tossed her the remote, which she deftly caught.

"Get it started. I'll go make the popcorn."

She did, navigating to the disc menu before laying back and closing her eyes.

Abby had told her to tell him. But when? Tonight? Tomorrow? She had a feeling that waiting would only serve to stress her out even more. And she hated procrastinating. So she would tell him tonight. Soon.

Tony returned with a plastic bowl full of popcorn in one hand and two beer bottles clanking in the other. She sat up, eyed the alcohol, and sighed. Really soon.

He placed the bowl on the table and proffered her a beer as he sat down.

"Ah, no thank you." She kept her hands firmly clasped in her lap.

"No? You always drink beer with me."

"Not tonight." Ziva stared into her lap. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay." Tony set down the beers, turning to face her. "What?"

"Tony, I-" Ziva froze. It was all happening too quickly. She had always prided herself on her good forethought, on her ability to suppress all emotions in order to persevere through any situation. But this was not a situation she had ever been trained to handle.

Tony stared, waiting for Ziva to continue and scrutinizing like any good investigator does. Her eyes were dark and round, her body rigid. She looked like a cornered animal and it both shocked and worried him to see her this way.

"Ziva... What?"

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><p>Bum bum bum. To tell him, or not to tell him? That is the question that I have the answer to and you WANT the answer to. Guess you'll just have to wait for me to actually write the chapter. Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope the characters weren't wildly OOC! Reviews make me a happy writer! ;)<p>

Oh and if you want to see what the green dress Ziva bought looks like, there's a link to it on my profile. And of course, I don't own NCIS or the films mentioned in this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for all the reviews! 110 wow. Hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry about the wait, but I was on vacation and away from my computer and any urges to use technology. Also, I have no idea when I'll update again so I'll just apologize in advance for that.

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><p><em>Tony stared, waiting for Ziva to continue and scrutinizing like any good investigator does. Her eyes were dark and round, her body rigid. She looked like a cornered animal and it both shocked and worried him to see her this way.<em>

_"Ziva... What?"_

She opened her mouth, closed it. She resembled a fish gasping for air. Ziva knew if she didn't speak soon, Tony was likely to freak out.

With a deep inhale, she opened her mouth and, at last, words came out.

"Tony... I am pregnant."

"You're..."

She nods, silently.

"But... How?"

Ziva raised her eyebrows as though to say 'You know exactly how.'

"It is yours," she said, answering the inevitable question.

"Ziva, we-"

"Not every time," Ziva cut in. "Sometimes we... make stupid decisions. And birth control pills are not a one-hundred-percent effective method."

Tony scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah, but the _odds_..."

"Were against us." She sighed. "I am pregnant, Tony. For certain."

She looked away, silently fingering a loose thread on the sofa. Now was when it could all come crashing down. She chewed her bottom lip, trying to force away the mess of emotions swirling inside her. But the damn hormones made that a difficult task.

Tony stared at her, finding it hard to think clearly. Pregnant. A baby. In some number of months, he and Ziva- possibly two of the most unlikely of parents- were going to have a baby. A little life they were going to have to be completely committed to and responsible for.

He and Ziva. His _partner_, who was sitting before him, looking just as shell-shocked as he.

Reaching out, he gently covered her hand with his. She stopped worrying the thread at his touch and looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Tony, I-"

"Ziva," he interrupted, bringing his other hand up to cup her cheek. "It's okay."

Her brows drew together. "It's... okay?" she asked.

Tony nodded. "Yeah. We'll figure this out," he assured. "I'm not the same guy I used to be, Ziva. I'm not the overgrown frat boy with the aversion to commitment anymore."

Ziva smiled, leaned into his palm. "I know, Tony." She placed her free hand over his where it rested on her cheek.

"We'll figure this out, Zee."

"You're sure you are okay with this?"

Tony nodded. "Of course." Then he frowned, eyes widening. "Oh, God. Gibbs is gonna blow a gasket."

Ziva chuckled, moving his hand from her face to kiss his fingertips. "Abby doesn't think he will kill us."

Tony lifted his eyebrows. "Abby knows?"

She shrugged. "I know. Tell Abby, tell everybody. But she promised to keep it a secret. And... She was helpful."

"Alright." He paused, then continued, "So... When are going to tell Gibbs?"

"First, I would like to make a doctor appointment," replied Ziva. "To determine how far along I am."

"You don't know?" Tony said.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Not for sure. There is no way for me to just tell, Tony."

Tony shrugged a shoulder, giving a sheepish grin. "I know that."

Ziva smiled and shook her head. "Of course you do."

They were silent for a moment. Finally, Tony reached for the remote and hit play on the DVD player. Then he wrapped his arm around Ziva's shoulders and pulled her against him as he lay down on the couch, kissing her temple as he did so.

Ziva leaned into him, smiling softly. Perhaps when things came down, the crash would be a little less damaging.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry! I know it's insanely short and mostly just filler but I had to get you guys a chapter before I descend into update hibernation for who knows how long as school rolls around. I'm probably going to be busy all this week doing my summer assignments (which I have greatly procrastinated on) so I don't know when I will update again, but I MIGHT be able to write a chapter this weekend. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry I didn't get this up until now. Enjoy! And I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

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><p>Ziva darted out of bed just after 0600, barely noting she had slept in before she was emptying her stomach into the toilet bowl.<p>

Jostled awake by her movement, Tony lay in bed and blinked at the dawn-lit ceiling in confusion. After a moment he heard another quiet retch from Ziva and jumped up, making his way into bathroom.

Once the burn of the sudden bright light on his retinas subsided, Tony crossed the small space and slid down the side of the tub beside his partner. He eyed her contemplatively. She had pulled herself away from the toilet to lean against the bathtub with her eyes closed.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked.

Her bare, tanned shoulders lifted a little and then dropped.

"A few days," she replied.

"Is that when you realized...?" He couldn't seem to voice the rest of the question.

Ziva pulled at the thin fabric of her tank top. "Not at first, though that should have made it obvious."

Tony stared at her. She kept her eyes closed.

"So... I guess we need to talk about this, don't we?" Though it wasn't really a question.

"Yes, something we are both so good at," Ziva stated sarcastically. She finally opened her eyes and turned her head to look into his. "This will never work."

"Hey." Tony cupped her cheek, forcing her eyes to remain on his. "We'll find a way," he said. "Got it?"

Ziva nodded, reluctantly, and gave him a half-smile.

He grinned back at her. "Aren't you usually the more-rational one?"

"Yes, well, I have not been feeling very rational lately, as you can probably imagine," she told him. "I keep thinking about how Gibbs is going to react."

Tony grimaced. "I can already feel the head-slap. He'll probably murder us and then have Abby and McGee clean up all the evidence. Oh, McGoo! Poor probie's probably gonna faint when he finds out. How was Abby when you told her?"

"Surprisingly calm. Though, I imagine it took nearly all of her willpower to remain as such. In fact, I am fairly certain I heard a squeal come from her car as soon as I stepped away after she dropped me off."

Tony laughed. "I bet she squealed all the way home."

"She and McGee are seeing each other," Ziva blurted, gauging him for a reaction.

He stopped laughing and raised his eyebrows. He didn't look nearly as surprised as she had expected. Perhaps he had noticed as well?

"Again?"

Ziva furrowed her brow. "Again?" she echoed.

"Yeah. Before you came. They dated a bit before McGee joined Gibbs's team," explained Tony.

"Oh."

The ensuing silence grew awkward as the previous topic of conversation died away and the one before it was drawn to the forefront of their minds again.

After another silent moment, Ziva said, "I suppose I should get ready." She allowed Tony to help her stand, leaning to flush the toilet as she did. "I need to call the doctor, too."

"Are you going in today?" Tony asked.

Ziva shrugged, spit the mouthful of water she had used to rinse her mouth into the sink. "If they have available appointment space," she replied, squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

Tony turned towards the door. "I'll let you get ready. Do you want breakfast? Coffee? Wait, you can't have coffee. Erm... Tea, then?"

She spit again into the sink and gave him a grateful smile. "Please. And maybe some toast?"

Tony smiled, nodded. "Sure. Dry?"

Ziva paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. "No. With jam. And butter."

Tony nodded once, taking on a cheesy British accent as he said, "Coming right up, my lady."

* * *

><p>Less than two hours later Ziva found herself rushing into the OBGYN office in a desperate attempt not to be late for the only available appointment they'd had that day. Tony came in shortly after, breathing heavily as though he'd been running to keep up with her. Ziva stepped up to the counter and checked in with barely a minute to spare, then made her way across the waiting room to take a seat near a dying potted plant as far as possible from the other occupants of the room. Tony slumped into a blue vinyl-upholstered seat beside her and stared around the white-walled waiting room.

He was one of only two males there. The other, a blonde and blue-eyed man with average looks and build sat with his arm wrapped around a pretty red-haired woman that looked ready to pop at any moment. She was lovingly rubbing her protruding abdomen, the small diamond on her silver wedding band glinting as it reflected the fluorescent lighting of the room.

Tony gulped, turning his eyes- and his thoughts- away from the ring and its meaning. His eyes briefly flickered over the remaining women, of which there were three, all in varying stages of pregnancy but all showing. One had a toddler resting on her lap, sucking on her index and middle fingers. The little girl stared back at Tony and glared, then turned her face and buried it in her mother's chest.

Turning his eyes back to Ziva, he tried to picture how she would look with a swollen stomach of her own and remembered the time they were undercover as married assassins when he'd done virtually the same thing- until she'd told him not to.

"You did not have to come, you know." Her voice dragged him from his reverie and his green eyes slid to her brown ones.

"I wanted to," he replied, stopped from saying anything else as a nurse walked through the door at the other end of the room. She called for an Allison Donovan and Tony watched as the red haired woman and her husband rose and followed the nurse.

Hearing Ziva sigh, he twisted in his chair to face her fully.

"How are you?"

Predictably, she answered, "I'm fine." She turned her thoughtful gaze toward the door where the married couple had just disappeared.

Tony didn't push her, though he knew 'fine' was hardly an accurate response. He watched her eyes, taking note of the myriad of emotions in them that didn't show on her impassive face.

Only a minute or two later, a thirty-something woman emerged from the doorway, followed by a stout young nurse with wire-rimmed glasses. The nurse bid the woman farewell and stared down at the clipboard in her hand.

"Ziva David?" she called, reading Ziva's surname with the Americanized pronunciation.

Ziva shot out of her chair, politely correcting the nurse as she forced herself to move forward at a normal pace, her partner trailing a few feet behind her.

The nurse nodded, apologized, and lead them down the hall to an empty exam room. She handed Ziva some forms to fill out, telling them the doctor would be in shortly, and left.

Ziva quickly filled in the necessary fields on the form and set it beside her on the exam table. She turned to Tony, who sat in a chair across the room, and allowed a brief moment of apprehension to show.

He smiled at her in a way he hoped was reassuring, watching the emotion dissipate almost as soon as it had appeared as the doctor knocked and entered the room.

The doctor, a woman in perhaps her late-forties to mid-fifties, wore the clichéd white lab coat atop black slacks and a pink button-up blouse. She was attractive, with gray-blonde hair that fell to just past her shoulders, blue eyes, and light laugh lines. She shook Ziva's hand, then Tony's.

"Hi," she greeted. "I'm Dr. Calder. I'll be your doctor for the extent of your pregnancy, Ziva."

Ziva nodded and couldn't help but let a small smile curl her lips. There was something warm, almost motherly, about the doctor that had a kind of calming effect on the ex-assassin.

She gestured to Tony. "This is Tony, my ah..."

"Partner," Tony offered. "At work and at home." He grinned.

"Dad, too, I'm guessing?" asked the doctor.

Tony nodded, moving to lean against the wall at the foot of the exam table.

Dr. Calder glanced down at her papers, including the one Ziva had filled out. "It says here that you're sure you are pregnant, but unsure how far along you are, is that correct?"

Ziva nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. "I took two home pregnancy tests and a lab test and all were positive."

Dr. Calder glanced up. "You took a lab test here?"

"No, uh," Ziva shook her head. "I work at NCIS. The forensic scientist- my friend Abby- she did a blood test."

The doctor smiled. "Okay, so we can be pretty sure that you are pregnant. Why don't we do an ultrasound today to estimate how far along you are? We'll also check up on a few things, take some blood samples, make sure there's nothing that could cause problems with you or the baby later on."

She had Ziva lay on the table and undo her pants as she rolled the ultrasound machine over.

"We'll just do an external ultrasound today," she explained, eyes flickering to Tony and back. "After we're done here, you can set up your next appointment with Irene at the front desk. If you'll lift up your shirt for me please, Ziva."

Ziva pulled her shirt up to just below her bra and watched as Dr. Calder produced a tube of gel.

"This will be a little cold," warned the doctor.

Tony remained at the end of the table, leaning against the wall, as the doctor used the transducer wand to spread the gel on Ziva's toned and tanned abdomen. From where he stood, he could just make out a couple of the lasting scars from Somalia.

"Depending on how far along you are, the Doppler may be able to pick up a heartbeat," said Dr. Calder. She slowly moved the wand around, staring at the screen until she found what she was looking for.

Pointing to a spot on the staticky black and grey image on the screen, she said, "And there's your baby. That little bean shaped figure, there."

Tony and Ziva stared at the screen with mixed feelings of fear and awe, then at each other and away with an abnormal rapidity.

"Well, Miss Ziva, it looks to me that you're about six weeks along, which means we won't be able to hear the heart just yet."

She marked something on her papers and then looked at Ziva with a warm smile. "I'll put the estimate of your due date down as November 14th. Fairly close to your birthday, I see," she smiled.

"Yes," Ziva stated quietly, eyes still focused on the ultrasound screen.

"Now, as an NCIS agent, I assume you do field work?"

Ziva's head jerked as she brought her attention back to the doctor. "I do."

Dr. Calder nodded. "You'll be fine to continue that for a while, so don't worry." She handed Ziva a tissue to wipe off the gel and returned the ultrasound machine to its place in the corner.

"The nurse will be in soon to take those blood samples and then you can go schedule your next appointment with the front desk. I'd like to see you again in three weeks. Also," she jotted something down on the back of a prescription sheet, "pick up some of these prenatal vitamins at your local pharmacy. And this," Dr. Calder passed her the sheet and a pale green card-paper chart, "is a list of foods and drinks you should avoid. Most of the things on there will be pretty obvious."

Dr. Calder gave Ziva another warm smile as they shook hands.

"Good luck, Ziva. I'll see you in three weeks."

"Thank you."

On her way out, the doctor turned again and smiled, looking at both of them. "Oh, and congratulations."

* * *

><p>Sorry it's short. I had to get another chapter up for you guys before school starts on Wednesday because after that, you may not hear from me again until winter break (December). Also, I just went with the transducerexternal method of ultrasound for Ziva's appointment because I wasn't too keen on writing the other way, which is often used in pregnancies earlier than eight weeks. Anyway, hope the chapter was good enough for ya 'cause it'll have to tide you over until emerge from my hole again. On the bright side, my fellow Americans have only fifteen days to wait until the season 9 premier. Hope it will be good. Fingers crossed.

And bonus points to anyone who noticed and/or can name the TV show I made a couple somewhat subtle references to in some parts of the chapter. Oh, and one more thing: if anyone wants to suggest some baby names (boy or girl), I'm up to reading them. I know what the gender is going to be, but you guys will have to wait a while ;)


	13. Chapter 13

Gasp! You mean I haven't fallen off the face of the earth? What with my dearth of updates, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what you guys were thinking. Long story short, school is homework hell. Also, I started another story (for the SyFy show Warehouse 13) that's been the teacher's pet of sorts for a while and everything else has pretty much just been neglected. After I finish all my NCIS stories I will probably be taking a [possibly permanent] break from writing to that and be shifting over to Warehouse 13. We'll see. I might actually do a sequel to this story, depending on how it works out. Also I've really gotten into Doctor Who lately, too. Love Matt Smith and David Tennant. Amy Pond and Rose Tyler are definitely my favorite companions. Anyone else a fan of the show? I'm starting to stray from crime and am getting into sci-fi if you hadn't noticed. Anyhow, I won't waste anymore of your reading time with my insignificant ramblings. Read on, folks, and please enjoy!

Note: I barely remembered the specifics of this story and I had to go back and read the last chapter to remember where I was, it's been so long, so sorry if the details get a little fuzzy in anyone's opinion, but I've done my best to stick to form. Also, you should consider yourselves lucky that I've taken this snow day off from school to update this one story. Especially since I really SHOULD be doing my schoolwork...

P.S. Definitely loving the Tiva bits from the last couple episodes.

P.P.S. This is kind of a deeper(ish), feelingy (totally a word) chapter, with some serious discussions. Nothing highly serious, and nothing bad at all, really, just that talk needed by two of our favorite characters to help them figure out where their messed-up lives will be taking them next. So yeah, now you can start reading.

* * *

><p>They returned to Ziva's apartment twenty minutes later. Nothing had been said for the duration of the trip, the heavy, awkward silence hanging over them like a fog even as they rode the elevator up and entered the apartment. Ziva placed the ultrasound photos and information packet on the dining table and stood beside it, unblinking, unmoving.<p>

She was brought back to the present by Tony's hand on her shoulder.

"Zee?"

She blinked and turned her head, eyebrows raised. "Hmm?"

"Want some lunch?" He shook a package of lunch meat he'd taken from the fridge, staring at his partner expectantly.

Ziva nodded. "Sure."

After a quick lunch of turkey sandwiches and raw vegetables, the partners retreated quietly to the living room.

Hoping to finally vanquish the awkward and tension-filled silence, Tony said, "So, uh, a baby." He pressed his palms together and caught her eye. "When are we going to tell Gibbs and face his wrath?" He forced a grin, adding, "I know Abby told you he wouldn't kill us - or you, at least - but, I gotta say, I'm not feeling vey confident about that."

To his surprise and immense relief, Ziva's tense posture relaxed into something more calm and casual and she smirked. "Nor am I. Something tells me Abby sees more generosity in Gibbs than is truly the case."

"Such is the result of favoritism." Tony smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, bringing a smile to Ziva's own features.

He stared at the blank TV for a moment, then stood abruptly and offered her his hand. "Take a walk with me, Lady David?" he asked.

Ziva chuckled, taking his hand and rising to her feet. "Of course, _Sir_ DiNozzo."

The expecting couple then donned their coats and left the apartment.

* * *

><p>Tony and Ziva traversed the familiar walking path that encompassed the park and surrounding woods across from Ziva's apartment complex. The day was turning out to be slightly overcast, but not too cold to be enjoyed, it seemed, because several others were out on the path, as well. The light breeze blew a few tendrils of hair into Ziva's face and she removed a hand from the toasty confines of her coat pocket to brush them away.<p>

"A baby is a lot to think about," she said, glancing at Tony walking to her left. "I only have a one bedroom apartment. So do you."

Tony nodded. "Not to mention the fact that, even if we did have a second room, we would need furniture to fill it with."

Ziva sighed, temporarily lost in thought.

"So, what do you propose we do?" he asked.

"I think... I think first we need to tell Gibbs. We cannot do much of anything without him eventually finding out. It will be better to tell him as soon as possible, yes?"

"Sure. And maybe, I don't know, maybe he can give us some advice. After he's finished killing us and disposing of our bodies, of course. I mean, he's done the whole baby thing before, right?" Tony shrugged and blew out a breath. He kicked a rock, sending it skidding across the pavement. "So, I guess we should get in touch with a real estate agent soon, huh?" he said, only partially joking.

Ziva stared down at her feet as they continued walking. "Tony, you know you don't have to do this if... I can-"

He cut her off. "Stop right there, Zee. I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can say that will make me abandon you with our baby, okay? We're going to raise this kid. Together. You've said before that you wanted a family, right? The American Dream - or something like it. Well, here's your chance, Ziva. We might not be completely ready, but who ever is? Things rarely happen as planned for people like us, but I'm rolling with it, just like you. I'm with you, Zee."

Ziva was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. Then, slowly, finally, she nodded. "Okay," she whispered. Ziva sniffled and raked at the hair blowing in her face, angry that the pregnancy hormones were already taking their toll on her normally well-controlled emotions. "Thank you."

He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. "Hormones already getting the best of you, huh?"

Ziva gave a small chuckle and punched her partner's shoulder - a little harder than strictly necessary, in his opinion. But she swiftly made up for it by rising to her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his in a soft, sensual kiss.

This ended abruptly as they had to jump out of the way of two young boys running down the path. The older of the two had a football tucked under his arm, which the younger kept grasping at in vain.

"Ian! Jamie! Watch where you're going! And come back here, please! Now!" A woman, presumably the boys' mother, called out and waved a hand in the air. The other held the smaller hand of a third child, a little girl in a pink and purple rain coat and boots. The pair stopped on the path beside Tony and Ziva as the boys, Ian and Jamie, reluctantly made their way back to their mom.

The woman turned to Tony and Ziva, who had yet to continue walking, mostly out of amusement at the scene.

"I am so sorry," she apologized. "They're only six and eight. Boundless energy and limited attention."

Ziva smiled. "It is fine, really." As she looked over the woman and her children, she felt a strange tugging sensation in her gut. She kept her face unreadable and the gently pressed the hand in her pocket against her abdomen, trying to imagine herself in a similar position. Then she blinked, removing her hand. The hormones were making quick work of her emotions, she noted somewhat irritatedly.

"Yeah," Tony said, grinning. "Boys will be boys."

The woman nodded. She had ash blonde hair that fell in gentle waves down her shoulders and pale blue eyes that she shared with all three of the children. She stared at Ziva for a moment and then stuck out her free hand.

"I'm Aurora Graceman. I think we live in the same apartment building; you look familiar. Silverlake Commons? I'm in one of the larger complexes on the first floor. Just my kids and I. My husband, their father, is in the Navy. Away on duty." She closed her eyes and shook her head, smiling. "Sorry. That's probably more than you care to know."

Ziva laughed. "Not a problem. And yes, I live on the third floor. Ziva David." She gestured to Tony. "This is Tony DiNozzo, my work partner and, ah, boyfriend."

Tony shook Aurora's hand. "Your husband's Navy, huh? What a coinkidink! Ziva and I are NCIS agents."

"Really?" said Aurora. Her youngest son stopped her from saying anything further.

"You guys are _AGENTS_?" the boy asked excitedly. "Wow, do you have guns? And handcuffs? Can you arrest me?"

Tony, Ziva, and Aurora laughed. "Jamie, I don't think they're going to arrest you," his mother said. "You haven't done anything wrong."

Jamie frowned, his shoulders slumping. "Fine... But you could arrest Ian and Kara! Sometimes they play pranks on me." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared over his shoulder at his older brother.

Ian stuck his tongue out. "Don't be stupid. They can't arrest us for that. Plus, Kara's only five."

The little girl frowned. "I'm five and a _half_," she declared indignantly.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Children, behave please." She turned back to Tony and Ziva. "It was nice to meet you Ziva, Tony. Now I have to get these mongrels back home for lunch. Hopefully I'll see you around. I must say, with my husband gone, it's nice to know there are federal agents living in the building."

With waves from the children, the young family departed down the path, back towards the apartment building.

Tony and Ziva waved back and continued walking, beginning a tentative discussion on future housing.

* * *

><p>Ick. That ended up being way sappier (and possibly OOC) than I'd planned, but oh well. Still, not my best chapter, but whatever. I'm burned out on writing and this was an okay place to stop. I don't really care enough to fix it. Thanks for reading and reviews are much appreciated! Also, I pretty much pulled the name for the apartment complex out of nowhere. So, yeah... Hope it doesn't bother anyone that I refused to spend time researching something like that.<p> 


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